Ohio Data Center News

Apr 2, 2026

Panel discusses how energy demand from data centers nationwide will impact Pennsylvania

The Clean Energy Group, Clean Air Council and Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania released a report titled “The High Cost of AI: How Data Centers are Reshaping Pennsylvania’s Energy Landscape.”

Main finding: The report finds Pennsylvania will export electricity to surrounding PJM states to meet growing data center demand, with PJM relying on Pennsylvania to supply energy to high-demand importers like Virginia (35% of hyperscale data centers); it projects an additional 24 to 44 million metric tons of CO2 by the end of the decade and an estimated $20 billion public health burden in 2028.
Background & local context: The report was discussed at a University of Scranton event with local officials and residents; Archbald has six proposed data center campuses under local opposition, the groups support Sen. Katie Muth’s three-year moratorium (co-sponsored by Sen. Rosemary Brown), and utilities such as PPL Electric Utilities perform system upgrade studies that can socialize costs across ratepayers.

Apr 2, 2026

States Race to Win the Tech Economy in 2026 State of the State Addresses

Broadband and technology were prioritized across nearly 30 governors’ 2026 State of the State addresses.

Main announcement: Governors across the country emphasized broadband expansion, AI policy and workforce development, and data center/energy planning; specific claims include Maine reporting “more than a quarter million homes and businesses” served, Wisconsin reporting 410,000 businesses and households with new or improved internet, Kansas connecting 117,000 households and businesses, and the Virgin Islands reporting a territory-wide internet program with over 50,000 users per month. The addresses also included concrete funding and contract figures: Maryland announced a $4 million AI workforce training investment, and South Dakota cited a $35 million Department of Defense contract for warhead production.
Background and other details: Governors described partnerships and policy actions: Maryland cited collaborations with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Microsoft, a South Korean biotech firm, and AstraZeneca for AI work; Iowa cited partnerships with Amazon Web Services and Google Public Sector to modernize state systems; several governors (Indiana, New York, Nebraska) debated who should shoulder data center energy costs or accelerate permitting; some states (New Hampshire, Delaware, South Carolina) signaled nuclear energy pathways and DOE engagement. Implementation timelines are those stated in addresses (2026) and referenced ongoing programs and contracts (e.g., South Dakota’s $35 million DoD contract already awarded).

Mar 31, 2026

SoftBank’s 10 GW Ohio Campus Marks a Turning Point for AI Infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Energy and SB Energy (SoftBank-affiliated) announced a plan to develop a proposed 10-gigawatt AI data center campus at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County, Ohio, paired with up to 10 GW of new power generation and substantial transmission investments.

Main announcement: SB Energy (SoftBank-affiliated) will pair a 10 GW compute campus with up to 10 GW of new power generation (including 9.2 GW natural gas) and is partnering with AEP Ohio on $4.2 billion in transmission investments; the DOE is leasing federal land for the PORTS Technology Campus and held a groundbreaking on March 20, 2026 in Piketon, Ohio. The project filings include an initial 800 MW interconnection phase with an operational target of 2028.
Background and details: The financing structure includes $33.3 billion in Japanese-backed funding tied to the natural gas component (linked to the U.S.-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement); the plan calls for 765-kV transmission lines, four substations, interstate gas pipeline development, and long-lead high-voltage equipment already secured. The project is presented as a federal land reuse model and potential policy template for allocating transmission costs to developers rather than ratepayers.

Mar 31, 2026

‘LaPolitics’: Who will replace Foster Campbell on the PSC?

Term-limited Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell will leave the PSC seat and multiple candidates are contesting to replace him; party primaries are set for May 16.

Main announcement: Foster Campbell’s open PSC seat in north Louisiana is being contested by Caddo Parish Commissioner John Atkins (Republican), James Green (Democratic State Central Committee-endorsed), Austin Lawson (Democrat), and Aiden Joyner (Republican, college student); the article details their policy positions on electricity rates, data center approvals, and infrastructure and notes endorsements (e.g., U.S. Sen. John Kennedy backing Atkins).
Background and details: Candidates outline concrete proposals such as establishing an official consumer advocate, tightening oversight of the PSC’s public entities program, reducing guaranteed utility returns on investment, and creating a percentage-of-income payment plan; the piece references the Meta data center project and Entergy’s PSC deal, cites a district vote split (district voted 64% for Donald Trump, 46% for John Bel Edwards) and emphasizes the timeline of the May 16 primary.

Mar 30, 2026

No one wanted to redevelop this polluted property. Then came AI.

Viridian Partners has proposed to buy Janesville’s 250-acre former GM site, remediate contamination, and build an $8 billion, 11-building, 800 MW data center campus.

Main announcement:Viridian Partners offers to purchase a 250-acre parcel owned by the city of Janesville, remediate soil contaminated with hydrocarbons, heavy metals and PFAS at an estimated $30 million cleanup cost, and construct an 11-building, 800 MW data center campus with development partner Abbleby Strategy Group; the proposal estimates ~600 permanent jobs and ~13,000 construction jobs, and includes working with Alliant Energy and American Transmission Company to build a new electrical substation.
Background and other details: The EPA released guidance (Jan 2026) identifying 335 brownfields potentially suitable for data centers; the article references other large projects such as the $15 billion Stargate data center (OpenAI & Oracle), notes a canceled $20 million EPA community change grant and an ineligible $773 million environmental trust, and documents local energy, emissions, public-health, and political concerns including proposed new natural gas peaking plants, a citizen ballot initiative, and legislative proposals to expand developer access to brownfields funding.

Mar 28, 2026

Ohio EPA considers new wastewater permits for data center as locals push back

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is considering a new general permit to allow data centers to discharge wastewater into surface waters.

Main action: The Ohio EPA proposes a new general wastewater permit for data centers that would authorize discharges into rivers and streams and speed approvals compared with the current requirement for individual permits, while the agency says it would limit any pollution increases to cases of critical community or economic need.
Background and context: Coverage cites multiple regional “megasite“ proposals including a $4 billion Amazon Data Services project in Wilmington, Ohio and a 2,080-acre, 400-gigawatt Maysville, KY project estimated at $1 billion; the article notes local government actions (e.g., Cincinnati City Council rulemaking, Mount Orab Village Council 180-day moratorium) and a recent Clinton County judge-ordered pause on Wilmington movement to allow more public input.

Mar 27, 2026

Episode for March 27, 2026

PennFuture has called for a moratorium on data center development in Pennsylvania until stricter laws can be passed.

PennFuture moratorium call: PennFuture has requested a statewide moratorium on data center development in Pennsylvania citing concerns about water use, electricity prices, and increased pollution; the call seeks a pause until stricter laws can be passed.
Related, verifiable developments: The central Pennsylvania electric utility settlement would shield average residential customers from data center-related rate increases and requires data centers to pay $11 million for low-income rate relief; the Pennsylvania DEP is considering a proposed Shell ethane cracker permit with higher emission limits; Governor Josh Shapiro is among plaintiffs suing to block the EPA repeal of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding; a Lackawanna County commissioner has proposed an air quality ordinance to address data center emissions and diesel backup generators.

Mar 27, 2026

Trump Admin’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge: What It Means for Hyperscalers

Seven major operators—Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI—signed the White House-brokered Ratepayer Protection Pledge on March 4, committing to build, procure, or directly fund new electricity generation capacity and to cover transmission and interconnection upgrade costs rather than passing them on to residential or commercial ratepayers.

Main announcement: The seven named hyperscalers signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge (White House-brokered, March 4) to fund new generation and pay for transmission/interconnection upgrades tied to their U.S. data center demand; the pledge explicitly shifts upgrade costs away from residential/commercial ratepayers and toward data center builders.
Context and implementation details: States and regional operators are already acting (e.g., Texas Senate Bill 6, PJM process updates) to assign large-load cost responsibility; companies are negotiating tailored agreements (upfront funding, cost-sharing, long-term commitments), examples include Microsoft’s Community-First framework and Microsoft’s involvement in restarting a Three Mile Island unit, while EPRI projects accelerated electricity demand growth through 2030.

Mar 26, 2026

Renewable Energy vs. Fossil Fuels: Who Is Actually Winning in 2026?

Happy Eco News (author Artemis) publishes an analytical piece stating that the energy transition is accelerating in electricity generation but has not yet displaced fossil fuels across total energy demand.

Main announcement: The article reports that renewables are rapidly expanding in electricity — citing solar and wind at 17% of U.S. electricity generation in 2024 (756,621 GWh), global clean energy investment of $2.2 trillion in 2025 out of $3.3 trillion total energy spending, and that renewables represented over 90% of new global electricity capacity added in 2025.
Background and additional facts: The piece notes that fossil fuels still supplied 58% of U.S. electricity in 2024 and that 82% of total U.S. energy consumption came from fossil fuels in 2023 (University of Michigan factsheet); it also records that global emissions hit a fourth consecutive annual record in 2024 and highlights mounting electricity-footprint scrutiny on sectors such as data centers, streaming platforms, and crypto casinos.

Mar 26, 2026

International Data Center Day: Future Frontiers 2030-2070

Data Center Frontier presents a fictional, forward-looking narrative exploring International Data Center Day activities and future digital infrastructure education.

Main announcement/action: Data Center Frontier publishes a plausible-future narrative about International Data Center Day (2030) in which 32 middle-school teams worldwide design, build, and operate tabletop, self-sustaining mini data center campuses using modular racks, fiber, micro solar, tiny wind turbines, programmable robotic operators, and AI agents; judges evaluated efficiency, resilience, innovation, and execution, with winners from India, and recognitions for edge-first and resilience (e.g., a Texas team with a microturbine mockup). Timeline and scale details: event depicted in 2030, final phase runs live AI workloads, and a coda projects to Moon-8 in 2070 — a lunar campus described as 100 gigawatts across eight domes.
Background and details: The piece is narrative/speculative (not reportage) and highlights concrete technical constraints: mandatory fiber wiring, power budgeting and dynamic pricing experiments (teams using live grid APIs), predictive maintenance demonstrations, and task-shifting of workloads under thermal and energy limits; it also references organizational context including 7x24 Exchange, Data Center Frontier’s editorial role, and use of AI tools (elements created with help from OpenAI’s GPT5).

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