Data Centers in Ohio: How Many, Where and What It Costs (2026)

How Many Data Centers Are in Ohio? 166 Operating, 278 Tracked

Ohio has about 166 operating data centers and 278 tracked in all stages, depending on the tracker and the date.

The gap between 223 and 278 reflects pipeline growth between February and November and a difference in method: DataCenterMap is a directory of listed facilities, and Cleanview builds its list from public records and counts individual buildings.

Ohio looks different from the two states closest to it in building count:

The count matters less than what each building draws. EPRI estimated that Ohio's data centers used 2.4 TWh in 2023, which is 1.58% of the state's electricity and far below Virginia's 25.59%. In EPRI's 2030 scenarios the share rises to between roughly 1.9% and 3.8%. Ohio ranks fourth in building count but falls outside EPRI's top 15 states for power use, which shows how much of its pipeline had not been built by 2023. We explain that gap in our ranking of data centers by state.

Where Ohio's Data Centers Are: Central Ohio and Pike County

Central Ohio, around Columbus and New Albany, hosts most of the state's data center load, and southern Ohio's Pike County is where the largest new campus is planned.

AEP Ohio's own figures show how lopsided it is. Of the 5,642 MW signed under its data center tariff as of February 12, 2026, 4,842 MW is in central Ohio and 800 MW is elsewhere in its territory. That is 86% of the new contracts in one region.

Most of that contracted load was not drawing power in 2023, which is why EPRI's electricity figure lags the building count.

Pike County

The second cluster is a former federal uranium enrichment site, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County, now branded the PORTS Technology Campus. On March 20, 2026 the U.S. Department of Energy announced a data center and power project there, with SoftBank's SB Energy building the generation and transmission, including a $4.2 billion grid upgrade in partnership with AEP Ohio.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the project would "add power generation, create jobs, and ensure the United States wins the AI race."

We cover the campus in the section on AI data centers below.

AEP Ohio's 17.9 GW Pipeline Is Twice Its Peak Demand

AEP Ohio has 17,861 MW of data center projects under contract. Of that, 5,642 MW was signed after the new data center tariff took effect and 12,219 MW was signed before it. The figures come from AEP Ohio's February 12, 2026 update to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), and the projects are scheduled to come online in stages through 2035.

The Number Most Guides Don't Show

AEP Ohio's peak demand across all customers has ranged between roughly 8,000 MW and 10,500 MW in recent years. The 17,861 MW under contract is therefore about 1.7 to 2.2 times the utility's entire peak load. Put against EPRI's 2023 data, which implies Ohio data centers averaged about 270 MW over the year, the contracted load is about 66 times what they drew then.

The pipeline has also shrunk since the rules changed. Before PUCO approved the tariff, data centers and developers had requested about 30,000 MW, and only about 13,023 MW of that paid for a study. That is the clearest sign of what a pay-whether-you-use-it rule does to speculative requests. I treat the 17,861 MW as a ceiling, not a forecast.

The tariff

PUCO approved AEP Ohio's data center tariff in an order dated July 9, 2025. It applies to new or expanded loads above 25 MW. They must pay for at least 85% of their subscribed capacity whether or not they use it, for up to 12 years, and leaving early costs an exit fee equal to three years of minimum charges.

"Today's order represents a well-balanced package that safeguards non-data center customers." (Jenifer French, Chair, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Jul 2025)

The industry accepted the principle while fighting the details.

"The data center industry is committed to paying its full cost of service." (Lucas Fykes, Director of Energy Policy, Data Center Coalition, Jul 2025)

For how the same logic is playing out in other states, including Texas's curtailment rules, see our guide to data centers by state.

What the Ohio Data Center Tax Break Costs

Ohio's data center sales tax exemption cost the state about $1.57 billion in 2025, up from about $555 million in 2024 and roughly 11 times the state's $136 million forecast, according to Ohio Department of Taxation figures reported in May 2026. The figures cover state revenue only. Local sales tax breaks are extra.

The exemption is discretionary, not automatic: projects apply to the state's Tax Credit Authority. That is why Governor Mike DeWine could stop it quickly. On May 27, 2026 he directed the authority to stop processing new applications while a legislative committee reviews the industry. Projects that were already approved keep their breaks.

The legislature has not settled the question. Lawmakers failed to reach agreement on data center regulations before leaving for recess in June 2026, and repeal bills have been introduced.

Ohio Votes: Local Bans, Moratoriums and the Statewide Push

Ohio is where much of the local backlash is concentrated. On November 3, 2026, 21 of the 41 local data center ballot measures nationwide were in Ohio, spread across 18 municipalities, and bans or limits passed in at least 14 towns, according to media tallies. All the results are unofficial until county boards certify them.

• Trenton: Issue 17, which limits large data centers, passed with about 79.7% of the vote.
• Central Ohio: Fortune reported that all five communities with data center measures on the ballot voted against data centers.
• Grove City: Issue 28, which requires a referendum on large developments that use a lot of water or land, passed with about 55%.

Voters were reacting to things they could see and hear. Residents near existing facilities describe constant low-frequency noise from cooling systems and backup generators, according to a Sierra Club Ohio post, while the Data Center Coalition's Dan Diorio says the industry abides by noise regulations. For the engineering behind that noise, see our explainer on data center cooling.

Local moratoriums are spreading too. The Ohio Newsroom reported around 18 municipalities considering or enacting them, including Lordstown and Athens. A statewide constitutional ban was not on the ballot: backers fell short of the roughly 413,000 valid signatures needed and plan to try again for the 2027 general election, according to reports.

AI Data Centers in Ohio: The 8 GW Pike County Campus

The biggest AI data center planned in Ohio is the PORTS Technology Campus in Pike County, and reports say OpenAI will take about 8 GW of it. On August 17, 2026, OpenAI said it would lease about 8 GW of IT capacity at the site from SB Energy under a 20-year lease, with NVIDIA providing a backstop, according to multiple trade outlets.

Total site power is higher than the IT figure, because cooling and power conversion take their share. The Department of Energy's March 2026 announcement described a campus of up to 10 GW, with up to 10 GW of new generation, including 9.2 GW of natural gas, and $33.3 billion of Japanese funding tied to the gas component. The campus is meant to start at about 4.25 GW, with an option to expand.

Two cautions apply. First, these are announced capacities, not energized ones, and the Department of Energy said only that construction was expected to begin in 2026. Second, plans of this size depend on generation, transmission and financing that still have to be delivered. For how OpenAI's other large sites fit together, see our guide to the OpenAI Stargate project.

The Pike County campus is a different kind of data center from the ones in New Albany. The central Ohio buildings serve cloud customers and sit near the cities they serve. The Pike County site is a power-first campus built on a former industrial site to train and run AI models.

What Comes Next for Ohio

Ohio's next year will be decided by three things: whether the legislature ends the tax break, whether the Pike County campus gets built, and how the new local bans hold up.

• The tax break. DeWine's pause covers new applications only. Whether lawmakers end, halve or restore the exemption will shape how many of the planned buildings are worth building.
• The contracts. AEP Ohio's 17,861 MW is scheduled through 2035. Each year a project slips is a year the utility's other customers carry the risk, which is what the 85% minimum is meant to cover.
• The local bans. Where voters passed limits, projects that need rezoning or water will face a referendum. Where they did not, expect more fights over noise and power lines.

My read is that Ohio will end this cycle with fewer, larger and more conditional data centers than the 278 on today's map. The count will fall, but the megawatts may not.

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