Ohio Data Center Intel

Recent Ohio data center news

• Feb 23, 2026

  JLL: Hyperscale and AI Demand Push North American Data Centers Toward Industrial Scale

  JLL has published the North America Data Center Report Year-End 2025 outlining a shift from cyclical real estate behavior to industrial-scale, infrastructure-like growth in digital infrastructure.

  • Key announcement: JLL’s report finds North America at 39 GW installed capacity (19 GW leased colocation, 20 GW hyperscaler-owned) and 35 GW under construction, with vacancy at 1% and 92% of construction pre-leased; JLL also reports 64% of new builds are in frontier markets and highlights potential for Texas (unified) to surpass Northern Virginia by 2030.
  • Background/details: JLL expanded methodology to include owner-occupied hyperscale capacity and 40+ additional markets, resetting baseline; it documents capital market activity including debt origination rising from $27B (2020) to $92B (2025), a $40B consortium acquisition of Aligned Data Centers (expected 2026 close), a $30B Blue Owl–Meta JV, and $17B of asset-backed securities issuance in 2025; it flags multi-year grid interconnection timelines (avg ~4 years), interim use of mobile natural gas turbines, and rising BESS deployments.
• Feb 22, 2026

  Data centers in Ohio: Economic boost or environmental burden?

  House Bill 646 would create a data center study commission to examine data center expansion across Ohio and assess environmental and grid impacts before projects move forward.

  • Main announcement: House Bill 646 proposes a bipartisan data center study commission that will examine environmental effects, electrical grid impacts, water usage, noise, and local economic impacts prior to project approvals; the bill is currently in committee.
  • Background & details: Ohio has about 200 data centers (many clustered in Central Ohio); New Albany has seen 14 companies build more than 68 data centers (about 40 operational). Policy Matters Ohio reports at least $140 million in tax exemptions granted for data center construction and estimates up to $1.6 billion in potential state/local revenue foregone tied to incentives for Amazon, Google and Microsoft. The article cites concerns including a proposed Adams County facility that would use >20x the county’s electricity, potential water use of up to 5 million gallons/day, and reliance on diesel backup generators (sound levels up to 90dB). Microsoft has pledged carbon negative by 2030 and a community-first infrastructure commitment; Amazon aims net-zero by 2040 and to power some operations with nuclear by 2050.
• Feb 21, 2026

  Trump-Backed Gas Plant Could Become Biggest US Power Polluter

  US President Donald Trump has proposed a massive gas-fired power plant in Ohio, intended to be led by SoftBank Group Corp., as part of broader Japan-US investment commitments.

  • Main announcement: The proposal is for a 9.2 gigawatt combined-cycle gas-fired power plant in Ohio, described in a Commerce Department fact sheet and intended to be led by SoftBank Group Corp.; the development is reported as roughly $33 billion in scale and would be one of the largest US sources of CO2 if built (estimates range ~16.2–19.4 million metric tons CO2/year).
  • Background and details: The project is linked to Japan’s $550 billion commitment to invest in the US under a recent trade agreement; estimates cited come from BloombergNEF (Helen Kou) and the Rhodium Group; analysts note the plant’s output may meet rising demand driven by the expansion of data centers within the PJM Interconnection region.
• Feb 20, 2026

  Episode for February 20, 2026

  The Allegheny Front released a podcast episode on Feb 20, 2026 covering an avian flu surge and regional environmental and industrial issues.

  • Episode details & main stories: The Feb 20, 2026 episode (runtime 29:30, downloadable mp3) focuses on an avian flu surge in Pennsylvania with state agricultural officials and USDA increasing testing and surveillance; it also reviews the aftermath of the Clairton Coke Works explosion (now six months after two deaths) and the transfer of the plant to Nippon (Nippon’s plans have not yet been released).
  • Additional reporting & concrete details: The episode summarizes a new study on deaths attributable to air pollution in the Pittsburgh region; it highlights growing opposition to dozens of proposed data centers in the region and cites a specific proposal in Delaware City that would use 20 million gallons of water a year. All facts are drawn from linked reporting and the episode content.
• Feb 20, 2026

  Columbia Gas Ohio Rates Surge 35% in 2026

  Columbia Gas Ohio announced a 35% hike to its default supply (Price to Compare, PTC) rates effective February 1, 2026.

  • Main announcement: Columbia Gas Ohio raised its default supply/PTC rate by 35% effective February 1, 2026, producing a utility PTC of $1.071 per ccf; a customer using 100 ccf would pay $107.10 in supply charges, with delivery charges and taxes noted as an additional $125, making a total bill more than $230. The release is an announcement by OHEnergyRatings.com warning residential customers about the rate increase.
  • Background and details: The firm cites an Arctic blast / Winter Storm Fern, higher spot and futures prices (spot average $9.03 per mmBTU, February NYMEX $7.460 per mmBTU, markets in New York/New England > $40 per mmBTU), and demand drivers including LNG exports and data centers. OHEnergyRatings.com recommends locking fixed-rate plans (examples: fixed rates up to 40% less than the $1.071/ccf PTC) for 6 months or longer to avoid further price spikes.
• Feb 19, 2026

  Salute Military Story: Kathy Miller

  Kathy Miller is currently a Data Center Operator (DCO) supporting Compass Datacenters at the IAD-E site.

  • Main announcement: Kathy Miller is currently a DCO supporting Compass Datacenters at the IAD-E site; this is presented as her current role in the interview.
  • Background & details: She joined the United States Marine Corps (left for bootcamp in March 2019, checked into her unit in Sept 2020), served as an Aviation Electronics Technician with MALS-39 at Camp Pendleton, finished her contract as a dual-qualified Avionics Technician, and cites GySgt Rolon Garcia for mentorship; social follow links provided: Facebook (@ Kathy Miller) and LinkedIn (@ Kathy Miller).
• Feb 18, 2026

  Could Texas Overtake Northern Virginia as the Data Center Capital?

  JLL’s latest market analysis reports a structural expansion of the North American data center industry driven by hyperscale and AI demand, with vacancy rates at 1% for the second consecutive year.

  • Key findings & figures: JLL reports 39 GW active capacity and a 35 GW pipeline across North America, with vacancy at 1%; nearly two-thirds of new capacity is being built outside traditional hubs. Texas has 6.5 GW under construction and could overtake Northern Virginia by 2030; there are >10 developments exceeding 1 GW, rents rose 9% in 2025 (and 60% since 2020), most new leases include annual escalations ≥3%, and tenants are targeting deliveries in 2027 or later.
  • Power, timelines & market shifts: Hyperscalers (the top five cloud providers) plan $710 billion in 2026 capex supporting ~35 GW global capacity; OpenAI and Anthropic account for ~10 GW of announced projects. The report highlights grid interconnection timelines of 4+ years, utilities-delivered capacity expected late 2028–2029, and developers pursuing behind-the-meter generation, microgrids, phased deployments, and early collaboration with utilities and governments to accelerate delivery.
• Feb 18, 2026

  New on the Data Center Frontier Podcast: Data Center Sustainability in an AI-powered Era

  Cologix has emphasized responsible, sustainable growth of data centers in the age of AI.

  • Main announcement/action: Cologix reports operational sustainability metrics and certifications including LEED Gold for its Montreal MTL8 data center, 2024 PUE of 1.486, WUE of 0.203, and 65% of energy from carbon-free sources while its footprint grew 40%; the company states renewable energy planning is non-negotiable for new developments and highlights site-specific advantages such as ~99% renewable energy from Hydro-Québec in Montreal and deep lake water cooling in Toronto.
  • Partnerships and implementation details: Cologix is partnering with utilities (example: AEP Ohio) to address grid constraints by agreeing to install on-site fuel cell systems at a future Columbus facility; Cologix will fund the project through a long-term contract, ensuring costs are not passed to other utility customers, and continues community engagement through town meetings, municipal relationships, STEM programs, internships, recycling, clothing/food drives and disaster relief.
• Feb 12, 2026

  Data Centers Face Growing Policy Headwinds

  Jefferies’ Washington Strategy team published a note analyzing how growing political opposition to data center expansion could translate into policy action.

  • Main announcement/analysis: Jefferies outlines bipartisan scrutiny of data center growth (including the Trump Administration, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Senator Richard Blumenthal) and reports that six states have proposed some form of data center moratorium with several measures extending through late 2029; Microsoft has launched a “Community-First AI Infrastructure” plan and pledged to cover incremental electricity costs for consumers in areas where Microsoft is building data centers.
  • Background and policy levers: The note catalogs potential policy responses including federal permitting/energy dominance changes (e.g., easing Bureau of Land Management permitting), cost allocation moves like Ohio’s rule to require large power users to cover 85 percent of capacity costs, state tax incentive reform, expanded consumer energy support or electricity price caps, DOE asking FERC to develop grid connection rules, and the pending Prince William Digital Gateway court hearing scheduled for February 23–24. This is an analytical note referencing existing announcements and policy proposals rather than a single new government policy announcement.
• Feb 11, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - February 10, 2026

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) published a newsletter highlighting climate risks to winter sports, related policy updates, and upcoming briefings and events.

  • Main announcement: EESI released coverage on climate impacts to winter sports at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina D’Ampezzo, citing over $1 billion in losses in the United States and the closure of 265 ski resorts in Italy; the newsletter links to a feature article, a 30-minute podcast with sport ecologist Madeleine Orr, and an archival piece on ice rink refrigerant emissions (mitigation strategies and policy). It also promotes EESI articles on data center water use and a recorded briefing on grid optimization and energy efficiency.

  • Legislative and events details: The newsletter summarizes congressional activity and announces upcoming briefings and dates:

    • Legislation: reintroduction/advancement of H.R.1355 (Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act), H.R.3474 (Federal Mechanical Insulation Act) reported to the House floor, S.688 (FISH Act of 2025) advanced in Senate, companion H.R.3756, and introduction of H.R.7257 (SECURE Grid Act).
    • Events (dates/times/locations/subject):
      • Feb 20, 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (online): “Frozen Infrastructure: Winter Storm Impacts on Communities and the Power Grid” — rapid readout on Winter Storm Fern impacts and recovery pathways.
      • Feb 26, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) & online: “Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability” — factbook findings in partnership with BCSE (data center energy demand discussed).
      • Mar 3, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Russell Senate Office Building Room 385 & online (reception to follow): “Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy” — solutions and federal policy strategies (costs cited: up to $424 billion annually to the U.S.).
      • Mar 12, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) & online: “Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses.”