Ohio Data Center News

Jun 25, 2026

Proposed data center in Guernsey County, Ohio, could go ahead despite local government opposition

The proposal for a data center in Guernsey County was presented by Smart Energy Partners and local real estate agent Jason Miller to county commissioners on June 9.

Main action: Commissioners were given a general description of the proposal on June 9; they state they lack legal authority to approve or deny a private development without a voter-approved zoning resolution, and have announced they will not provide tax abatements or infrastructure assistance for the project. Commissioners requested additional information from the developer on economic and environmental impacts.
Background and details: A citizen group, Guernsey County & Ohio: Data Center Developments, formed a coordinated opposition on June 19 at the Red Roof Inn to protect agricultural land, reclaimed strip-mine habitats, mature forests, water sources, and local wildlife (including potential impacts to The Wilds); Smart Energy Partners CEO Rich Stokey said discussions are early-stage and focused on site characteristics, fiber access, natural gas, and power options.

Jun 24, 2026

Canada's Beacon DC targets 275MW data center campus on California oil field

Beacon Data Centers has announced plans for the Golden Valley Technology Hub, a new 275MW data center development on the Elk Hills Oil Field in Kern County, in partnership with California Resources Corporation (CRC).

Project details: 275MW Golden Valley Technology Hub on a 100-acre site with 400,000 sq ft (37,161 sqm) of data center space, an on-site substation, and closed-loop liquid cooling. The facility will be powered by CRC’s Elk Hills Power Plant with existing utility grid connections as backup and fifteen 2.5MW diesel generators for additional backup. Timelines for construction were not shared.
Background and context: Beacon was launched by Nadia Partners (March 2023) as Beacon AI Centers and claims a portfolio of more than ten campuses representing 6GW planned capacity (projects in Alberta, New Brunswick, Texas, Kern County CA, Calvert AL, and Ohio). CRC operates the adjacent 550MW Elk Hills natural gas power plant, acquired the Elk Hills Field in 2018, and had previously said it would “evaluate potential data center sites and power needs” for offtake from the power plant.

Jun 23, 2026

Thor Equities files lawsuit against Ohio's Urbana after data center moratorium disrupts project

Thor Equities has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against the city of Urbana, the city council, and the building and zoning appeals board.

Lawsuit and project details: Thor Equities filed suit after Urbana passed a 12-month “emergency moratorium” and rezoned Thor-owned land as unsuitable for data centers; Thor says it assembled ~230 acres, spent $19.6 million on preliminary work, and submitted a complete site plan in February 2026 for a $1 billion, 460,000 sq ft data centre project that would use closed-loop cooling and require the end user to pay for grid/transmission upgrades.
Context and timeline: The moratorium was passed in March and the rezoning occurred this month; Thor states the city had previously approved data centers, worked with officials for more than a year, and now alleges its plans were rejected contrary to the city’s zoning code and amid “wildly exaggerated claims about water usage, noise levels, and dangerous, baseless propaganda about health impacts”; the suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Jun 19, 2026

Episode for June 19, 2026

Governor Shapiro’s office offered to streamline permitting for Amazon.

Governor Shapiro’s office offered to streamline permitting for Amazon: Investigative reporting by Jael Holzman (Heatmap News) examined emails between the Governor’s office and Amazon revealing outreach to court new data centers as public opposition to AI data centers in Pennsylvania has grown. Key entity: Office of Governor Josh Shapiro; reporter: Jael Holzman; action: offer to streamline permitting for Amazon (reported, based on reviewed emails).
Other environmental actions and notices described: the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is accepting public comment on a proposed wastewater discharge permit for the Rustic Ridge coal mine that would allow 2.8M gallons of treated wastewater into a Laurel Highlands trout stream; coverage also highlights the American burying beetle recovery effort, the century-old fire tower wildfire-detection system, and a coalition of conservation groups in Westmoreland County seeking property owners to support monarch butterflies.

Jun 17, 2026

Missouri Emerges as the Next Hyperscale Frontier Amid Growing Power Demands

Amazon has announced plans to invest $10 billion in a new data center campus in Montgomery County, Missouri, following Google’s prior $15 billion Montgomery County announcement, bringing recent hyperscale commitments in the county to $25 billion.

Main announcement and project details: Amazon announced a $10 billion data center campus (Project Green) near New Florence on a roughly 1,000-acre site; the company said the project will create more than 400 full-time jobs and thousands of construction positions, pay 100% of utility infrastructure extension costs, not receive discounted electric rates, and design cooling to use water-based systems <7% of the year; construction activities reportedly began in April.
Background and implementation context: This follows Google’s $15 billion Montgomery County data center announcement (combined $25 billion); analysts cited power and economics as drivers as hyperscalers seek new markets; Missouri Governor Kehoe issued Executive Order 26-02 (Jan 2026) directing the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to review energy regulations and infrastructure planning with a report due Nov 30, 2026.

Jun 16, 2026

Climate Change Solutions - June 16, 2026

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) released new fact sheets on lithium and cobalt and announced its 29th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO (EXPO 2026).

New EESI publications: EESI published fact sheets on Lithium and Cobalt, noting the U.S. relies on imports for >50% of lithium consumed and 76% of cobalt consumed; the newsletter links to a 2025 Critical Minerals Issue Brief for deeper analysis.
Event and policy updates: EXPO 2026 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (reception 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) at the Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) and online; the newsletter also reports House action on the Agriculture Appropriations Act (H.R.8646) providing $22.5 billion to USDA through September 2027, and updates on geothermal permitting bills and the DOMINANCE Act to secure critical mineral supply chains.

Jun 12, 2026

Episode for June 12, 2026

The Allegheny Front published a June 12, 2026 podcast episode covering local and regional environmental topics including balcony solar, a Ken Burns Thoreau documentary, and community events.

Main coverage: The episode highlights Pennsylvania lawmakers considering legalization of “balcony solar” (small plug-in PV panels that can power a refrigerator or TV), features interviews about Ken Burns’ new Henry David Thoreau documentary (directors Erik and Chris Ewers), and notes the return of Frog Fest; episode date: June 12, 2026 and runtime 28:58.
Additional factual details: The episode references ALCOSAN having spent $750 million of a $4.5 billion sewage-control program, mentions the Trump administration’s $700M package to the coal industry, notes Nippon Steel’s new investment in U.S. Steel’s Pittsburgh-area plants (no dollar amount given in the article), and records Republican candidate Stacy Garrity calling for a pause on data center development to allow local zoning action.

Jun 10, 2026

The General Assembly Must Prioritize People Over Data Centers

Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is calling on Virginia legislators to pause new data center approvals and end the sales tax exemption during the June budget negotiations.

Main action: PEC urges the General Assembly and Governor Spanberger to end the annual sales tax exemption for data centers and pause approvals of new data center projects so the state can plan for 51 GW of approved data center demand; legislators reconvene June 18, with a June 30 budget deadline.
Background and details: The email cites Dominion Energy’s agreement to supply 51 gigawatts, notes the tax break grew from $1.6 million in 2008 to nearly $2 billion today (~6% of Virginia’s annual revenue), references ~10 GW of operational IT load in Virginia, and points to recent pauses of tax credits in Ohio and Illinois as precedent.

Jun 10, 2026

OpenAI weighs Nvidia-backed lease for 10 GW Ohio data center campus

OpenAI is reportedly in advanced talks to lease a proposed 10-gigawatt data center campus near Piketon, Ohio, with Nvidia potentially providing hardware and guaranteeing lease and developer financing; the lease would give OpenAI control of computing equipment under a 20-year term and the first phase is expected in 2028.

Main announcement: OpenAI is negotiating to lease a 10-gigawatt campus in southern Ohio, control the compute equipment under a 20-year lease, begin payments when the site starts operating, and the first phase is expected in 2028; Nvidia may supply hardware and guarantee OpenAI’s lease obligations and the developer’s financing.
Background and details: The campus buildout is reported to cost at least $500 billion at current chip/power/construction prices; the site aligns with a U.S. Department of Energy partnership where SB Energy (SoftBank Group) committed to build 10 GW of new generation (at least 9.2 GW natural gas) plus billions of dollars in transmission infrastructure; the negotiations are reported and remain unresolved on financing, permitting, and timelines.

Jun 8, 2026

The AI Demand Dilemma: Utilities Confront Speculative Growth

Utilities across the US are rewriting tariffs, demanding financial guarantees, and altering transmission and procurement plans to avoid building infrastructure for speculative AI-related data center load requests.

Main action: Utilities (notably AEP and Duke Energy) are tightening large-load rules and requiring financial commitments to move projects forward: AEP winnowed more than 30 GW of preliminary requests to ~13 GW for formal studies and 5.6 GW with signed Electric Service Agreements; AEP proposed requiring customers to commit to paying for 90% of requested capacity for a decade before the utility builds supporting infrastructure. These measures include specialized large-load tariffs, collateral/minimum-usage guarantees, and phased energization schedules to limit ratepayer exposure.
Background and implementation details: Regulators and reliability bodies (NERC, ERCOT, FERC) are developing new categories and study frameworks (e.g., Computational Load Entity, batch study processes) and reliability guidance. Utilities are expanding financing and procurement: Duke extended a $10 billion master credit facility through 2031 and raised its five-year capital plan to $103 billion; AEP raised its five-year capital plan to $78 billion. Industry forecasts and planning estimates include Wood Mackenzie projecting the US data center electrical equipment market could grow to $65 billion by 2030, and Grid Strategies/ACEG estimating roughly 5,000 miles of new high-capacity transmission annually through 2035 (fewer than 1,000 miles built in 2024).

Ohio Data Center Intel

Recent Ohio data center news