Environmental group asking for moratorium on new data center in Ohio

The environmental group Save Ohio Parks is urging state policymakers to enact a moratorium on new data center development and mandate that existing and future facilities meet their energy needs with renewable sources like solar and wind power, supported by battery storage. In a report released Monday, the organization criticized current Ohio law for hindering renewable energy projects while facilitating the approval of new natural gas plants. Rachel Kutzley, lead author of the report and a Save Ohio Parks board member, stated that the state's policies are forcing data centers to rely on gas generation, which will lock in dependency on fossil fuels for decades and negatively impact the environment, public health, and energy costs. The report also highlighted that potential energy generation lost due to withdrawn or restricted renewable projects in Ohio nearly matches the power requested by data center interconnections from American Electric Power (AEP). During AEP's first-quarter 2026 earnings call on May 5, President and CEO Bill Fehrman projected that the utility's nationwide power generation would nearly double by 2030, largely driven by the expansion of data centers in Ohio and Texas. Ohio currently hosts 203 data centers, ranking fifth nationally, with over 130 concentrated in the Columbus area. These facilities account for 1.6% of the state's total energy consumption, a figure Save Ohio Parks argues necessitates immediate policy intervention to ensure sustainable growth.