Ohio’s largest utility says interest from data centers has dropped to a fraction of what it was a year ago — a stark turnabout that’s prompted state lawmakers to reexamine grid planning in the Buckeye State.
As recently as last summer, utility AEP Ohio had a moratorium in place because it was overwhelmed with new data center interest: 50 customers totaling 30 gigawatts — roughly three times New York City’s peak electricity demand. But as of last month, that number had shrunk more than 80 percent, to 5.6 GW.
That’s due in large part to new requirements for large data centers that took effect last year. The new rules are meant to distinguish speculative projects, or “tire kickers,” from real ones, said Zach Miller, AEP Ohio’s director of economic development and data center integration.
“It’s our belief that the data center tariff is working as it’s intended, to protect and promote affordability and fairness for our customers,” Miller said in an interview.
