Feds announce huge natural gas plant, data center project in southern Ohio

Two federal government agencies announced a $33.3 billion project in southern Ohio, featuring a 9.2 gigawatt natural gas plant and a 10 gigawatt data center. The development is slated for revitalized U.S. Department of Energy land in Piketon, previously home to the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. SB Energy, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based SoftBank Group, is spearheading the initiative and will invest $4.2 billion in new transmission lines across southern Ohio in partnership with American Electric Power (AEP) Ohio. Initially, SB Energy plans to invest $10 billion in an 800 megawatt data center, projected to create 4,000 construction jobs and 300 to 400 operational jobs. The project has the potential to expand to involve 35,000 construction workers and 2,500 operational staff. Construction is scheduled to commence this year, with excess transmission capacity to be fed into Ohio's power grid. State Sen. Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) emphasized the project's potential for "generational change" for the economically challenged region.