Groundbreaking held for $36 billion Ohio natural gas project

A groundbreaking ceremony took place in Piketon, Ohio, on Friday for a monumental $36 billion natural gas project, which is set to power a 10-gigawatt data center. The facility will be constructed on a 3,700-acre site previously utilized by the historical Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion facility, owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. The event marked the initiation of a public-private partnership involving the U.S. government, SoftBank, and AEP Ohio. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attended, emphasizing the project's role in leveraging federal assets for power generation, job creation, and bolstering the United States' position in the AI sector. Secretary Lutnick highlighted the project as a direct outcome of "America First trade policies" and Japan's commitment to invest in the U.S. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, receiving a standing ovation, assured local workers that the project would protect the local power grid and not lead to increased electricity costs. The development is projected to generate 35,000 construction jobs at its peak and 2,500 permanent staff positions for the data center, with construction slated to begin this year.