Ohio Data Center News

Mar 12, 2026

Fossil generation could rise with faster-than-expected growth in data center power demand

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published an analysis showing that faster-than-expected electricity demand growth driven by data centers could increase natural gas and coal generation and raise wholesale electricity prices.

Main analysis and assumptions: The EIA produced a high demand growth scenario in which 2026 and 2027 growth rates are 50% higher than the February STEO in data-center-heavy regions, while other regions are +1 percentage point above STEO; the scenario assumes no additional generating capacity beyond the February STEO and applies an assumed +$0.50/MMBtu increase in natural gas delivered prices across regions.
Key modeled outcomes and metrics: Under the scenario, natural gas generation rises to +7.3% (123 BkWh) between 2025–2027 (vs 1.7% baseline), coal generation declines by 5.0% (37 BkWh) nationwide in the high case, and ERCOT 2027 wholesale prices model +$37/MWh above the February STEO (excluding ERCOT the average 2027 wholesale price is +$2.10/MWh above the STEO forecast of $48/MWh).

Mar 10, 2026

US solar installations down in 2025 after Trump policies jolt market, report says

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie published a study showing US new solar installations fell to 43 GW in 2025, down from nearly 50 GW in 2024.

Study finding and causes:43 GW installed in 2025 versus nearly 50 GW in 2024; utility-scale solar installations declined 16% and community solar declined 25% in 2025. The report attributes the disruption to policy changes under the Trump administration, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the scrapping of subsidies and tax breaks for renewable developers, and a freeze on approvals for major projects. Top states: Texas added 11 GW, followed by Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Utah and Arkansas.
Background and projections: The report notes solar and energy storage accounted for 79% of new capacity additions in the first year of the Trump administration, with more than two-thirds of installations in states won by him. It projects the US will add 490 GW of new solar capacity by 2036, taking cumulative installed capacity to nearly 770 GW. Key spokespersons: Darren Van’t Hof (SEIA interim President and CEO) and Michelle Davis (head of solar, Wood Mackenzie).

Mar 9, 2026

Babcock & Wilcox Will Deliver 1.2 GW of Gas-Fired Capacity for Applied Digital Data Centers

Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) has received notice to proceed on a $2.4-billion design-build agreement with Base Electron to supply 1.2 GW of natural gas-fired capacity supporting Applied Digital’s AI data center campuses.

Main announcement: B&W will engineer, procure, and build four 300-MW natural gas-fired boiler and steam turbine generator systems (total 1.2 GW) supplied by Siemens Energy under a $2.4-billion design-build agreement with Base Electron to supply power for Applied Digital’s AI factory campuses; work already is underway.
Background and details: Applied Digital’s Delta Forge 1 (southern U.S.) is designed for initial 430 MW utility power (up to 300 MW critical IT load), with operations expected mid-2027; Applied Digital also has the Polaris program (a $3-billion, 700-MW complex expected online later this year) and is evaluating an option with Base Electron for an additional 1.2 GW of generation capacity.

Mar 6, 2026

AI Infrastructure Brief: Power, Capital, and Silicon Collide in the Next Phase of the Data Center Buildout

Data Center Frontier summarizes multiple AI infrastructure announcements and projects scaling to gigawatts across North America.

Main announcement/action: The article reports an industry-wide acceleration of hyperscale AI data center development, including CoreWeave’s plan to add roughly 5 GW of capacity by 2030, xAI’s $659 million permit filing for Memphis “Colossus,” Nebius’s $150.6 billion Chapter 100 bond approval, and a $2.4 billion B&W/Base Electron design-build agreement to deliver 1.2 GW of natural-gas generation to supply Applied Digital AI campuses; it also cites La Caisse’s C$240 million commitment to Cologix’s MTL8 and Google’s $40 billion investment pipeline in Texas through 2027.
Context and additional details: The report documents wider trends: institutional capital flows (Blackstone exploring a public data-center vehicle; HighBrook targeting 300 MW), growth in dedicated/behind-the-meter generation (the “power island” trend), and rising political and community scrutiny (Birmingham 180-day moratorium, Oregon HB 4084 proposal, project withdrawals/controversies in Apex NC and West Louisville).

Mar 5, 2026

Hyperscalers Sign White House Pledge to Fund Data Center Power, Grid Upgrades

The White House convened seven major AI/hyperscaler companies on March 4 to sign the non‑regulatory Ratepayer Protection Pledge committing to fund new generation capacity and pay for required grid upgrades so costs are not passed to residential or commercial ratepayers.

Main announcement (signatories & commitments): The pledge was signed on March 4, 2026 by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI, committing to build, bring, or buy new generation resources and cover the cost of all power delivery infrastructure upgrades required for their data centers; companies also agree to pay for contracted power and infrastructure whether or not they ultimately consume the electricity. The White House framed the effort as a policy response to AI-driven load growth and stated companies will negotiate separate rate structures with utilities and state governments to isolate costs from existing ratepayers.
Background & implementation details: The article cites EPRI projections (U.S. data center demand ~177–192 TWh in 2024, rising to 9–17% of national demand by 2030, up to 793 TWh in a high scenario). It documents specific company actions and figures: Google >7,800 MW contracted in Texas and a $4.75 billion Intersect Power acquisition pending; Microsoft contracted 7.9 GW in MISO; Amazon-related deals cited ~$1 billion projected customer savings (Indiana) and a $300 million Entergy transformation (Mississippi); OpenAI’s Stargate aims for 10 GW U.S. AI compute by 2029 and committed $175 million for local infrastructure in Wisconsin. The notes also record that the pledge is non‑binding and the White House disclosure does not specify independent auditing, penalties, or a defined enforcement methodology.

Mar 4, 2026

Data Center Jobs: Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Sales, Field Service and Facility Tech Jobs Available in Major Data Center Hotspots

Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Pkaza, has posted the latest roundup of data center career opportunities on the Data Center Frontier jobs board.

Main announcement: Data Center Frontier and Pkaza published 13 current data center job listings across the United States (examples include Electrical Applications Engineer, Electrical Commissioning Engineer, Production Architect – Data Center Facilities Design, Director of Construction, and Data Center Facility Operations Director), with many roles offering remote options or multiple city locations (e.g., Pittsburgh, Dallas, New York, Ashburn, Columbus, Boulder, Chesterton, Augusta).
Background and details: Listings are provided by/for mission-critical and colo/hyperscale sectors and emphasize reliability, energy efficiency, sustainable design and LEED expertise; roles cover engineering design & commissioning firms, electrical contracting, general contracting and data center developers, and include positions supporting AI/HPC infrastructure and brownfield conversions.

Mar 4, 2026

EQT, GIP Move to Take AES Private in $33B Bet on Data Center Power Demand

A consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and EQT has announced a definitive agreement to acquire AES Corp. in an all-cash transaction.

Deal terms and timing: The consortium will acquire AES for $15.00 per share in cash, valuing equity at $10.7 billion and enterprise value at about $33.4 billion (including debt); the transaction is expected to close in late 2026 or early 2027, subject to shareholder approval and U.S. and foreign regulatory approvals.
Operational and financing context: AES said it is self‑funded through 2027, plans to continue investing roughly $1.8 billion a year in growth, will maintain existing capital programs (including a 1.2-GW gas repowering at AES Indiana and 4.8 GW of backlog projects under construction through 2027), and the consortium will fund 100% of the purchase price in equity; AES utilities in Indiana and Ohio will remain locally operated and regulated, and regulators will review transaction impacts on rates and ring-fencing measures.

Feb 28, 2026

Ohio EPA Weighs New Statewide Wastewater Permit Amid Environmental Backlash

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) is proposing a five-year general wastewater permit (OHD000001) that would allow eligible data centers to directly discharge certain non-contact cooling water, air compressor condensation, and boiler blowdown into state waters.

Main announcement/action: The OEPA draft permit OHD000001 is a five-year general permit that would let eligible facilities bypass municipal pretreatment and directly discharge specified low-impact wastewater to state waters; the agency frames the change as necessary for “important social and economic development” and explicitly acknowledges a potential “lowering of water quality” under state antidegradation rules. The permit is proposed amid Ohio’s data center growth (noted as 217+ data centers with dozens more planned).
Background and details: Critics including Save Ohio Parks and the Ohio River Foundation call the approach “one-size-fits-all”, raising concerns about absent limits on PFAS (“forever chemicals”), heavy metals, thermal pollution, and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). State Rep. Munira Abdullahi (D-Columbus) urged denial citing PFAS health risks. Public hearings occurred in December 2025 and the online comment deadline was extended to January 16, 2026; critics request site-specific permits and alternatives analysis while OEPA defends grouping similar low-impact discharges.

Feb 27, 2026

Episode for February 27, 2026

The Allegheny Front published a Feb. 27, 2026 episode summarizing multiple environmental stories including contaminated drinking water in Ohio, endangered species listing delays, data center disputes, and a federal rollback of mercury rules.

Main episode coverage: The podcast highlights Cadiz, Ohio residents reporting musty water that looks, smells and tastes bad after months of issues; experts cited extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and a lack of certified professionals, while local regulators said the water is safe. The episode date is February 27, 2026.
Additional stories and actions: The episode reports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is delaying listings for species including the monarch and hellbender; the Trump administration announced it will roll back a Biden-era mercury emissions standard to a 2012 standard; local Ohio towns are using zoning to oppose new AI/data centers, and President Trump said he had “worked out a deal with energy-hungry data centers to build their own power plants” (no implementation timeline provided).

Feb 27, 2026

Policy Shock: Big Tech Told to Power Its Own AI Buildout

The White House is advancing a ‘ratepayer protection’ framework aimed at ensuring large AI data center projects do not shift grid upgrade costs onto residential customers.

Main action: The White House is pushing a ratepayer protection approach that would encourage/require large AI and hyperscale developers to demonstrate energy self-sufficiency or provide dedicated power solutions (e.g., behind-the-meter generation) when seeking large-load approvals; the article cites signals that formal guidance or rulemaking and possible state-level measures could follow in the near term.
Context and details: The article reports market movement (about one-third of new U.S. projects evaluating private/on-site power), technical choices include natural gas turbines, fuel cells, hybrid microgrids, and renewables, capacity scales of hundreds of megawatts to gigawatt levels are discussed, and a cited Nordic deal (Equinix/atNorth) reports roughly 1 gigawatt of secured power capacity and further expansion plans; potential near-term indicators include utility tariff changes, hyperscaler commitments, and federal guidance.

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