Combined data center and Intel semiconductor fab investment in Central Ohio
Intel semiconductor fab in New Albany, Licking County, with multi-phase expansion potential
Projected combined data center and Intel load growth requiring new generation and transmission
Three factors drove the wave: lower electricity rates than coastal markets, abundant water from the Scioto and Hocking systems, and Ohio state tax incentives modeled on the Virginia data center sales tax exemption. Central Ohio also has competitive land costs, accessible construction labor, and strong fiber connectivity to both coastal and Midwest markets.
The Intel announcement in 2022, with potential expansion to $100 billion across multiple phases, anchored a regional technology infrastructure narrative that made adjacent data center investment a natural fit. AWS, Meta, Microsoft, and Google have all expanded materially in Central Ohio since.
Five sub-markets carry most of the activity:
AEP Ohio, the dominant utility for most of the region, has filed integrated resource plans projecting multiple gigawatts of new continuous load over the next decade from data centers and the Intel fab combined. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is reviewing rate-class separation proposals that would protect residential rates from the cost of new transmission and generation built primarily to serve large industrial customers.
This is a near-direct parallel to the rate-class separation debate playing out in Virginia, Indiana, and Georgia. The PUCO outcome will shape how aggressively Central Ohio can grow new data center load without producing residential rate shocks.
Central Ohio sits in a comparatively water-rich region. The Scioto and Hocking river systems plus groundwater aquifers offer more headroom than Phoenix or Las Vegas markets. But cooling demand at the projected build-out scale is still significant. AWS, Meta, and other operators have published varying reclaimed water and water reuse commitments. Local utilities, especially in New Albany, have begun to factor data center demand explicitly into long-term capital planning.
The community concern is concentrated less on absolute supply than on the cost of new water infrastructure and on whether it is funded by the operators or pooled into the utility rate base.
Most Central Ohio data center approvals happen at the township or city zoning level. Township trustee races and city council elections in New Albany, Hilliard, and Dublin have become higher-profile as data center load grows. Ohio law permits direct citizen referendum on certain zoning changes, and several groups are organizing around water sourcing and rate-impact concerns.
Compared to Northern Virginia or Frederick County, Central Ohio is at an earlier stage of community organization. Operators have an opportunity to set proactive transparency precedent. Several recent approvals have included community-facing dashboards and binding noise and water conditions, following the model emerging from Loudoun and Frederick.
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Drawn from public regulatory filings, utility commission proceedings, and operator environmental reports. Methodology is published and reproducible.
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Sourced from PUCO filings, AEP Ohio integrated resource plans, township and city zoning records, and operator environmental reports.
Central Ohio is one of the fastest-growing US data center markets. Major operators including AWS, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and QTS have multiple operating campuses or active build-outs across New Albany, Hilliard, Dublin, Lancaster, and surrounding suburbs. Total announced investment exceeds $50 billion across operators when combined with the Intel mega-fab in Licking County.
Intel announced a $20 billion (initial phase) semiconductor fabrication campus in New Albany, Licking County, Ohio in 2022, with potential expansion to $100 billion across multiple phases over a decade. The site is roughly 1,000 acres. While not strictly a data center, the fab combines with adjacent data center campuses to make the corridor one of the largest concentrated technology infrastructure investments in US history.
AEP Ohio, the dominant utility for the Columbus region, has filed integrated resource plans showing data center load growing several gigawatts over the next decade. Combined with the Intel fab, the region will need substantial new generation and transmission. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is actively reviewing rate-class separation specifically because of data center and semiconductor manufacturing load.
Five sub-markets carry most of the build-out: New Albany (AWS, Meta, Microsoft, plus Intel), Hilliard, Dublin, Lancaster, and the broader Licking County corridor. Smaller sites continue to come online in Plain City, Marysville, and Pataskala. New Albany is the largest by announced megawatts, driven primarily by AWS expansion.
Three factors: relatively low electricity rates compared to coastal markets, abundant water from the Scioto and Hocking river systems, and a state-level data center sales tax exemption similar to Virginia (though more recently established). Central Ohio also has favorable land cost compared to Northern Virginia, accessible labor for construction, and strong fiber connectivity to East Coast and Midwest markets.
Five recurring issues at recent zoning hearings: water sourcing for cooling (especially in dry summers), electricity rate impacts on residential ratepayers, traffic and construction during build-out, agricultural land conversion in Licking and Madison counties, and noise from cooling fans and backup generators. Community organizing is at an earlier stage than in Loudoun or Frederick but is gaining momentum as facilities come online.
Most data center approvals in Ohio happen at the township or city level. New Albany, Hilliard, and Dublin each have their own zoning processes. Ohio law permits direct citizen referendum on certain zoning changes. Public utility commission rate dockets are increasingly contested venues as data center load grows. Township trustee elections in build-out corridors have become higher-profile.
AEP Ohio and the Ohio Consumers Counsel have engaged in proceedings before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio about whether large data center customers should be in their own rate class with cost-allocation provisions that protect residential rates. The outcome of these proceedings will materially affect how the cost of new generation and transmission is allocated as data center load grows.
Columbus is at an earlier stage of build-out, with substantially more available land and grid capacity than Loudoun County. Community opposition is less organized than in Northern Virginia or Frederick, though it is forming. Tax revenue dependency is lower because Ohio data center build-out is more recent. Operators are increasingly choosing Ohio for projects that would have gone to Loudoun a decade ago.
Ohio sits in a relatively water-rich region compared to Phoenix or Las Vegas, but cooling demand is still significant. AWS, Meta, and other operators have published varying water reuse and reclaimed-water commitments for their Central Ohio sites. Local utility planning has begun to factor data center demand explicitly into long-term capital planning, especially in New Albany.
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