The Ground Rules

Gas power for data centers

The seven gas plants

Seven gas-fired power plants are running, being built, or awaiting state approval in and next to the New Albany International Business Park. Each one powers a specific data center directly, "behind the meter," rather than supplying the public grid.

Last checked against sources on .

The short version

  • Seven plants, 1,936 megawatts combined, all built to run data centers.1
  • One is running. A second is expected in service about November 11.2,3
  • Two more, NEO and PowerConneX 3, await a state decision. Both have signed settlements recommending approval.7,8
  • Ohio EPA is taking comments on the Socrates the Younger air permit until Dec. 3.10 How to comment

How we got to seven

Two plants are running or about to start. A state decision on NEO could come December 17, a news report says, though we have not seen that date on the board's calendar.1

  1. Aug. 13, 2025PowerConneX I starts construction120 MW for EdgeConneX.5
  2. Nov. 20, 2025PowerConneX II approved216 MW for EdgeConneX, now under construction.6
  3. June 2026Socrates the Younger approved250 MW for Meta, with 36 conditions.4
  4. About Aug. 1, 2026Socrates South goes into serviceThe first of the seven to run: 200 MW for Meta.2
  5. Oct. 19, 2026NEO settlement filedEvery party in the case recommends approving the 500 MW plant for Meta.7
  6. Nov. 2, 2026PowerConneX 3 settlement filedThe developer, the City of New Albany and siting board staff recommend approving the 450 MW plant.8
  7. About Nov. 11, 2026Socrates North expected in service200 MW for Meta.3
  8. Dec. 17, 2026A decision on NEO could comeAccording to The Reporting Project.1

All seven plants

The table lists each plant's owner, the data center it serves, its size and its status.

PlantOwner → data centerSizeStatusState case
Socrates SouthGas turbines and 15 gas engines9 Will-Power OH (Williams) → Meta 200 MW OperatingIn service about Aug. 1, 20262 25-0185-EL-BLN
Socrates North20 acres in the business park Will-Power OH (Williams) → Meta 200 MW FinishingIn service expected about Nov. 11, 20263 25-0188-EL-BGN
Socrates the Younger20 gas turbines and 4 gas engines; Clover Valley Rd at Harrison Rd10 Will-Power OH (Williams) → Meta 250 MW+116 MW batteries ApprovedJune 2026, 36 conditions; air permit open for comment until Dec. 34,10 26-0169-EL-BLN
PowerConneX I47 gas engines and 16 linear generators in its air permit11 EdgeConneX → EdgeConneX 120 MW Under constructionSince Aug. 13, 20255 25-0090-EL-BLN
PowerConneX II8-acre site, with batteries EdgeConneX → EdgeConneX 216 MW Under constructionApproved Nov. 20, 20256 25-0302-EL-BGN
NEO Power Generation Facility27 gas turbines and 4 gas engines; ~130 acres south of Jug St, east of Mink St12 Will-Power OH (Williams) → Meta 500 MW+260 MW batteries Awaiting decisionSettlement filed Oct. 19; a decision could come Dec. 177,1 26-0627-EL-BGN
PowerConneX New Albany 330 gas engines, ~80-ft stacks; 3356 Clover Valley Rd13 EdgeConneX → EdgeConneX 450 MW Awaiting decisionSettlement filed Nov. 2; air permit on hold8,13 26-0361-EL-BGN
Case numbers are Ohio Power Siting Board dockets. Search them at dis.puc.state.oh.us. "BLN" cases went through the state's accelerated review; "BGN" cases got a full certificate review. The city counts "four generation facilities supplying four data center projects"14, which counts customer projects rather than individual plants.

See where their exhaust goes on the Downwind map

The two plants still awaiting a decision

Both have settlements recommending approval. NEO has no draft air permit yet, and PowerConneX 3's is on hold.

Awaiting decision

NEO

500 MW for Meta

Equipment
The largest of the seven: 20 small and 7 large gas turbines, 4 gas engines, and a 260-megawatt battery system12
Settlement
Signed by every party in the case on October 19, 20267
Decision
Could come December 17, The Reporting Project says1
Air permit
No draft published yet
More detail: site, schedule, who signed, and the hearing

The plant would sit on about 130 acres in Jersey Township. Construction would start in January 2027, with the plant fully online by December 2028.12

The signers were Will-Power, the City of New Albany, Jersey Township, four Licking County bodies, and the siting board's own staff.7 The evidentiary hearing two days later took 20 minutes, and no one contested the plant.15

Awaiting decision

PowerConneX New Albany 3

450 MW for EdgeConneX

Equipment
30 gas engines with stacks about 80 feet tall13
Settlement
Filed November 2 by PowerConneX, the City of New Albany and staff8
Air permit
Stalled. The comment period on the draft has closed.16

"…on hold awaiting revised modeling due to annual emission rate calculation errors."

Siting board staff, on Ohio EPA's review of the air permit13
More detail: site, staff view, and the public hearing

The plant would be at 3356 Clover Valley Rd. The siting board's staff recommends approval with conditions.13

At the October 22 public hearing, 37 people testified. The 5 who spoke in favor all represented trade unions.1

What they are allowed to emit

Only three of the seven plants' figures have been made public, and one set is still being corrected.

Air permits set a ceiling called "potential to emit," calculated as if every unit ran at full power around the clock all year. The city notes that actual emissions are usually lower.14

PlantNitrogen oxidesFine particles (PM2.5)Carbon monoxideVOCsGreenhouse gases (CO₂e)Where the figures come from
NEO2431972451733.47 millionAir permit application, as summarized by Save Ohio Parks17
PowerConneX 3161178219244—Air permit application, Table 3-118. Provisional: other tables in the same application give lower numbers, and Ohio EPA has flagged calculation errors.
Socrates the Younger148104all PM1861011.83 millionDraft air permit, as summarized by Save Ohio Parks10
 Tons per year at full output. "VOCs" are volatile organic compounds, which, with nitrogen oxides, form ozone in sunlight. The other four plants' permits have been issued, but we have not yet published their limits.

Sources

  1. Alan Miller, "8-year-old to officials considering 7th power plant for New Albany data centers," The Reporting Project, Oct. 23, 2026. thereportingproject.org
  2. Will-Power OH, "Notice of Compliance, Completion and In-service Dates," OPSB case 25-0185-EL-BLN, filed July 22, 2026. PUCO docket
  3. Will-Power OH, "Notice of Completion and In-service Date," OPSB case 25-0188-EL-BGN, filed Nov. 3, 2026. PUCO docket
  4. "Ohio Power Siting Board approves fifth natural gas power plant in New Albany," Farm and Dairy, June 30, 2026 (farmanddairy.com); OPSB case 26-0169-EL-BLN (docket).
  5. PowerConneX New Albany, "Notice of Compliance with Condition 3: Start of Construction Date," OPSB case 25-0090-EL-BLN, filed Aug. 12, 2025. PUCO docket
  6. OPSB case 25-0302-EL-BGN, Opinion and Order, Nov. 20, 2025, and start-of-construction notice, Dec. 2, 2025. PUCO docket
  7. Joint Stipulation and Recommendation, OPSB case 26-0627-EL-BGN, filed Oct. 19, 2026. PUCO docket
  8. Joint Stipulation and Recommendation, OPSB case 26-0361-EL-BGN, filed Nov. 2, 2026. PUCO docket
  9. Kevin Clark, "Onsite gas turbines, reciprocating engines to power Meta data center," Power Engineering, June 11, 2025. power-eng.com
  10. Ohio EPA, public comment page for draft permit P0139969, "Will-Power OH, LLC - STY," viewed Nov. 5, 2026 (ohioepa.commentinput.com); emission figures from Save Ohio Parks, "Tell the Ohio EPA: No air permit for Meta's third polluting gas plant," Oct. 14, 2026 (saveohioparks.org).
  11. Ohio EPA final permit-to-install P0137967, Aug. 19, 2025, filed in OPSB case 25-0090-EL-BLN. PUCO docket
  12. OPSB Staff, "Staff Report of Investigation," case 26-0627-EL-BGN, Oct. 1, 2026. PUCO docket
  13. OPSB Staff, "Staff Report of Investigation," case 26-0361-EL-BGN, Oct. 16, 2026, including pp. 26–27 on the Ohio EPA permit. PUCO docket
  14. City of New Albany, "Energy Centers: Frequently Asked Questions," Oct. 2026 (PDF), and "Natural Gas Power" (newalbanyohio.org).
  15. Transcript of the Oct. 21, 2026 evidentiary hearing, OPSB case 26-0627-EL-BGN, filed Nov. 3, 2026. PUCO docket
  16. Ohio EPA, public comment page for draft permit P0140005, "EdgeConneX New Albany North," viewed Nov. 5, 2026. ohioepa.commentinput.com
  17. Save Ohio Parks, "Act Now: Tell Ohio NO on two polluting gas plants," Sept. 23, 2026 (saveohioparks.org), and testimony of Oct. 6, 2026 (saveohioparks.org).
  18. Trinity Consultants for EdgeConneX, "Exhibit E: Permit to Install Application," Table 3-1, OPSB case 26-0361-EL-BGN, filed July 24, 2026. PUCO docket