The Ground Rules

Take part

How to comment on the plants

State boards decide on these plants, and they take public comment. A written comment becomes part of the official case file.

Last checked against sources on .

The short version

  • By Dec. 3: comment to Ohio EPA on the Socrates the Younger air permit.4 How
  • Before a decision: comment to the Power Siting Board on NEO or PowerConneX 3.8 How
  • New Albany City Council meets Nov. 17, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m.3 How to speak
  • The state could decide on NEO on Dec. 17, The Reporting Project says.5

Upcoming dates

These are the hearings, meetings and deadlines between now and the end of the year. Dates that have passed are grayed out.

  • Nov10
    Ohio EPA hearing: Fairfield Energy Center air permit (regional)
    6:00 p.m., Millersport Elementary auditorium, 11850 Lancaster St., Millersport. A new gas turbine plant in Walnut Township, Fairfield County, not in New Albany. Permit P0140492; written comments due Nov. 12 at 11:59 p.m.1
  • Nov11
    Socrates North expected to start running
    The second of the seven plants to go into service, per the developer's filing.2
  • Nov17
    New Albany City Council
    6:30 p.m., Village Hall, 99 W. Main St. Further meetings Dec. 1 and Dec. 15.3
  • Dec3
    Comment deadline: Socrates the Younger air permit
    Ohio EPA draft permit P0139969 for 20 gas turbines and 4 gas engines at 3439 Clover Valley Rd. Comments due by 11:59 p.m. No hearing is scheduled.4 How to comment
  • Dec17
    Possible state decision on NEO (500 MW)
    The Reporting Project says the Power Siting Board could decide case 26-0627-EL-BGN at this meeting. We have not seen it on the board's calendar.5 Comment before then

No decision date has been announced for PowerConneX New Albany 3 (26-0361-EL-BGN). Its evidentiary hearing was scheduled for November 4, and public comments are still accepted online until the board decides.5,6

Comment to the Ohio Power Siting Board

The Power Siting Board decides whether each plant gets built. Two cases are open, and anyone can comment.

  1. Pick the case

    NEO Power Generation Facility (500 MW, Meta): case 26-0627-EL-BGN

    PowerConneX New Albany 3 (450 MW, EdgeConneX): case 26-0361-EL-BGN

  2. Write it so it counts

    • Name the case number, and say where you live relative to the plant.
    • Be specific: noise at your home, children at a nearby school, wells, traffic, how often the wind blows toward you. The Downwind map can help with that last one.
    • Say what you are asking for: denial, or conditions such as continuous emission monitors, noise limits measured at homes, or limits on diesel generator hours.

  3. Send it

    Online: comment on NEO or comment on PowerConneX 3. The form asks for your name, email, where you live, and whether you live in the project area.8

    Email contactOPSB@puco.ohio.gov with the case number in the subject line.9

    Mail to the Ohio Power Siting Board, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215, with the case number on the letter.10

Questions about the process: Matt Butler, PUCO, (614) 644-7670, matthew.butler@puco.ohio.gov.15

More detail: who sits on the board

Its voting members are the chair of the Public Utilities Commission and the directors of Ohio EPA, Health, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Development, plus a public member who is an engineer.7

More detail: becoming a formal party to a case

Only formal parties ("intervenors") can question witnesses and ask for a rehearing after a decision.11,6 Petitions to intervene are due within 30 days after the application notice is published, and late petitions are granted only "in extraordinary circumstances and for good cause shown."12

For PowerConneX 3 the deadline was October 15, 2026.22 For NEO the window has almost certainly closed. The parties in both cases, including the City of New Albany, have signed settlements recommending approval.13,14 What the city signed. For future plants, watch for the published notice and act within 30 days.

Comment on an Ohio EPA air permit

Each plant also needs an air permit from Ohio EPA, which sets its emission limits. Draft permits get a public comment period, and sometimes a hearing.9

Open now: due Dec. 3

Socrates the Younger, draft permit P0139969 (Will-Power OH, 250 MW, for Meta). Comment on Ohio EPA's site4

  1. Read the draft

    Find it in Ohio EPA's eDocument search. Search by permit number.4

  2. Stick to the air

    Comments carry the most weight when they are about air: emission limits, how they are monitored, stack heights, how many hours the diesel generators may run, and the modeling behind the permit.

  3. Send it

    Online: open the permit's page on the Ohio EPA comment portal (search by permit number). You can attach up to five files.4

    Mail: Ohio EPA Central District Office, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, OH 43216-1049, with the permit number.4

Contact: Max Moore, Ohio EPA, 614-644-2160, max.moore@epa.ohio.gov.4 A final air permit can be appealed to the Environmental Review Appeals Commission within 30 days of the decision, with a $70 filing fee.16

Speak at New Albany City Council

The city cannot approve or deny a power plant, but it intervenes in state cases. It also controls zoning, annual reviews of tax abatements, and how much the public learns about the data centers in the park.17

When
The first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The remaining 2026 meetings are Nov. 17, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15.3
Where
Village Hall, 99 W. Main St., New Albany. Meetings are live-streamed.18
When to speak
Agendas include a "Hearing of Visitors" near the start and a "Poll for Public Comment" near the end.19 Call the clerk ahead of time to confirm sign-up and time limits.
Clerk
Jennifer Mason, (614) 939-2244, jmason@newalbanyohio.org18
Council
Mayor Sloan Spalding; President Pro Tempore Kasey Kist; Marlene Brisk, Mike Durik, John McClelland, Matt Shull and Andrea Wiltrout20

Things you could ask for

An answer to who authorized the city's November 2 signature on the PowerConneX 3 settlement (what the city signed). Before the city signs any future settlement in a power plant case, a public hearing on it. Annual public reporting of each data center's water use, minimum payments owed and paid, and what each school district receives. Noise limits measured at the nearest homes.

Contact your state legislators

State law sets the rules these plants are built under, and several data center bills are pending, including House Bills 646 and 706. What those bills would do

New Albany is split between Franklin and Licking counties and between legislative districts, so look yours up by address with the Ohio Legislature's Find My Legislators tool. For example, the Franklin County part of New Albany is in Ohio House District 4.21 Seats may change in January after the November 3 election.

Get deadline reminders

Join us and we'll email you before each comment period closes and before each hearing, with a guide to commenting.

Sources

  1. Ohio EPA, public comment page for draft permit P0140492, Fairfield Energy Center, viewed Nov. 5, 2026. ohioepa.commentinput.com
  2. Will-Power OH, "Notice of Completion and In-service Date," OPSB case 25-0188-EL-BGN, filed Nov. 3, 2026. PUCO docket
  3. City of New Albany, "2026 New Albany City Council Regular Meeting Schedule." (PDF)
  4. Ohio EPA, public comment page for draft permit P0139969, "Will-Power OH, LLC - STY," viewed Nov. 5, 2026. ohioepa.commentinput.com
  5. Alan Miller, "8-year-old to officials considering 7th power plant for New Albany data centers," The Reporting Project, Oct. 23, 2026. thereportingproject.org
  6. OPSB case 26-0361-EL-BGN, case record, viewed Nov. 5, 2026. PUCO docket
  7. OPSB Staff, "Staff Report of Investigation," case 26-0361-EL-BGN, Oct. 16, 2026, pp. 1–3. PUCO docket
  8. PUCO Docketing Information System, "File a Public Comment," viewed Nov. 5, 2026. dis.puc.state.oh.us
  9. City of New Albany, "Energy Centers: Frequently Asked Questions," Oct. 2026. (PDF)
  10. OPSB news release, "OPSB schedules local hearing for proposed natural gas power plant in Licking County," Sept. 16, 2026 (govdelivery.com); PUCO, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus.
  11. Ohio Revised Code 4906.08. codes.ohio.gov
  12. Ohio Administrative Code 4906-2-12. codes.ohio.gov
  13. Joint Stipulation and Recommendation, OPSB case 26-0627-EL-BGN, filed Oct. 19, 2026. PUCO docket
  14. Joint Stipulation and Recommendation, OPSB case 26-0361-EL-BGN, filed Nov. 2, 2026. PUCO docket
  15. OPSB news release, Sept. 16, 2026 (as source 10). govdelivery.com
  16. Ohio EPA final permit P0137967 cover letter, Aug. 19, 2025, filed in OPSB case 25-0090-EL-BLN. PUCO docket
  17. City of New Albany, "Natural Gas Power," accessed Nov. 5, 2026. newalbanyohio.org
  18. City of New Albany, "City Council Business." newalbanyohio.org
  19. City of New Albany, Council Meeting Agenda, Sept. 1, 2026. (PDF)
  20. City of New Albany, "City Council & Mayor." newalbanyohio.org
  21. Ohio House of Representatives, member page for District 4. ohiohouse.gov
  22. Administrative Law Judge, Entry, OPSB case 26-0361-EL-BGN, Sept. 16, 2026, ¶ 7. PUCO docket