October 13, 2026
Ohio Environmental Council intervenes in PORTS Energy Center’s case before the Ohio Power Siting Board
For Immediate Release:
10/13/2026
Contact:
Karlena Wallace, Communications Director
media@theoec.org 614-487-7506
Ohio Environmental Council intervenes in PORTS Energy Center’s case before the Ohio Power Siting Board
Columbus, Ohio — On October 13, 2026, the Ohio Environmental Council formally intervened at the Ohio Power Siting Board, in the docket governing the PORTS Energy Center’s application to construct a 1.77 gigawatt gas-fired power plant. This application is for the first phase of the PORTS Energy Center, representing a portion of the total 9.1 GW gas-fired power planned for this project. Power generated will be used to offset the electric demand needs of a proposed 10 GW data center, one of the largest ever proposed in the world.
The PORTS Energy Center, and the full 9.1 GW of gas proposed alongside the PORTS data center, represents a significant new source of dirty, polluting electric generation in Ohio, equaling close to a third of Ohio’s current electric demand. The cumulative impacts of the data center, and all associated infrastructure, must be appropriately considered by the Ohio Power Siting Board as it evaluates this proposal, including:
- air emissions;
- climate impacts;
- water impacts;
- effect on the surrounding community;
- utility bill rates statewide; and
- the environmental injustices experienced by Ohioans throughout the region.
The following quote can be attributed, in whole or in part, to Carol Kauffman, CEO for the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC):
“”The PORTS Energy Center is the first in many infrastructure applications associated with the massive PORTS data center in Piketon, marking an important opportunity to set the record straight regarding the impacts of the PORTS data center. Reusing the former Department of Energy site for a data center, rather than farmland or other locations, may have its benefits. However, Ohioans must ask questions as to whether the scope of this project is appropriate to the area and why the 9.1 GW of electric generation affiliated with the data center must come from dirty, polluting gas, rather than cleaner, more affordable energy sources.
“Importantly, as Ohio utility bills skyrocket, we must ask about affordability in the context of such an immense project. Data center developers and the PORTS Energy Center have claimed they will cover most,if not all, costs, from transmission infrastructure to the construction of the gas plant. However, 9.1 GW of gas will have significant ripple effects on the grid and market. The Board must require evidence that Ohioans will not be left footing the bill.
“The Ohio Environmental Council is committed to engaging the PORTS project at every step as it moves through the Ohio Power Siting Board. But before construction, the Board must fully consider all the issues, and we call on decision makers to think about whether the PORTS data center, and its associated infrastructure, is truly a good deal for Ohioans.”
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The Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) protects the environment and health of all Ohio communities through legal and policy advocacy, decision-maker accountability, and civic engagement.
