Ohio’s data center building boom: Nearly 80 more could be on the way

Ohio is facing a significant data center building boom, with over 200 facilities currently operating and an additional 80 projected to be built by 2030, with a heavy concentration around the Columbus area. This surge is driven by increasing demand for AI and data processing, with companies like Google establishing large campuses, such as its 275,000 sq ft facility in New Albany. The expansion has generated growing community pushback. Residents in Plain City, for instance, are apprehensive about potential data center development, prompting the village to propose aggressive new zoning regulations. Environmental concerns center on the substantial resource consumption, with Google's New Albany site using 34 million gallons of water monthly for cooling and consuming 250 megawatts of electricity. Dan D'Orazio from the Data Center Coalition highlights Ohio's attractive offerings, including power, network infrastructure, skilled workers, and tax incentives, which Google claims still result in them being a major local taxpayer. Controversy also surrounds electricity costs. AEP Ohio's economic development director, Zach Miller, assures that a data center rate plan, approved last summer by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), protects everyday customers by requiring minimum power purchases and long-term contracts from data centers. However, the Ohio Manufacturers Association has filed a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court to reverse this billing plan, alleging it unlawfully discriminates against certain customers and blames higher rates on utilities' inflated demand forecasts. Separately, a grassroots organization called Conserve Ohio, led by organizer Jessica Baker, is actively collecting signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment to ban data centers over 25 megawatts across the state, highlighting a David versus Goliath struggle. Furthermore, at least half a dozen bills related to data centers are currently being discussed at the Ohio Statehouse.