CMS Energy CEO predicts data center ‘progress’ after midterms

Utility Dive · Brian Martucci · 2026-10-28 12:46 UTC

Garrick Rochow blamed political “spin” for permitting setbacks in an earnings call. He did not address the more than $300 million the utility says it has spent to keep an aging coal plant running under DOE ‘emergency’ orders.

A controversial Microsoft data center set to draw up to 1 GW of power from Consumers Energy’s grid could see “more progress” on local permitting after next week’s elections, CMS Energy CEO Garrick Rochow told investors and stock analysts on the company’s quarterly earnings call Tuesday.

CMS Energy is the parent company of Consumers Energy, which operates regulated gas and electric utilities in Michigan.

Rochow suggested that much of the opposition to data centers is being driven by political campaigns and could subside after the midterms.

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