Energy

Manufacturers from around the state gathered this week at Cenovus’s Lima Refinery for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) Energy Committee meeting, where the discussion centered on a simple warning: Ohio’s energy future cannot be built on speculative forecasts and customer-funded utility bets.

With electric bills climbing, utilities are using data centers and projected load growth to justify new tariffs, new spending and a return to old monopoly playbooks. OMA warned that inflated projections can drive unnecessary infrastructure, higher PJM capacity costs and discriminatory rate structures that leave manufacturers paying for utility bets that may never materialize.

“Ohio manufacturers are not anti-growth. We are anti-blank check,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services. “Utilities should not be allowed to turn speculative data center projections into customer-funded infrastructure and special tariffs. If the forecast is real, prove it. If the load is real, show it. Ohio customers deserve evidence, discipline and protection from monopoly risk-shifting.”

OMA thanks Cenovus for hosting this important discussion at one of Ohio’s most significant industrial energy sites. 5/27/2026

AEP’s latest headquarters drama should sound familiar to anyone watching Ohio energy policy. The utility is filing plans to renovate its downtown Columbus tower while insisting no final decision has been made on its Ohio headquarters. That may be corporate real estate strategy, but it also looks like leverage from a monopoly utility that knows how to create urgency when it wants something.

The same pattern is playing out in energy policy, where AEP points to projected growth, data center demand and grid needs while asking customers and policymakers to accept more utility-controlled risk.

“AEP is very good at asking Ohio to take its threats seriously,” said Ryan Augsburger, president of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “But whether it is headquarters speculation or speculative load forecasts, policymakers should call the bluff. Ohio customers should not be pressured into blank checks because a monopoly utility says the future might require them.” 5/27/2026

Americans are saying the quiet part out loud. They do not trust the utility playbook. A new national poll shows customers want tougher oversight as utilities seek billions in new rate increases and prepare customers for even more spending tied to data centers, transmission and grid buildout.

Ohio policymakers should take the warning seriously. At a time when electric bills are already rising, monopoly utilities should not be allowed to turn speculative forecasts into automatic customer costs. Every forecast, rate request and infrastructure plan should face real scrutiny before captive ratepayers are forced to pay. Growth matters, but so does discipline. If utilities want customers to fund new spending, they should have to prove the need, show the benefits and accept accountability when projections do not materialize.

“Customers do not need more utility sales pitches dressed up as planning,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of energy and advocacy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “They need regulators and policymakers willing to ask hard questions before another dollar is added to their bills.” 5/26/2026

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) staff is recommending that AES Ohio receive a new data center tariff before the data center “hypergrowth” problem has even shown up in the utility’s territory.

The recommendation, part of AES Ohio’s pending rate case, would create separate rate classes for data centers even as staff acknowledged AES has not experienced the same level of data center activity as AEP Ohio. Rather than wait for the issue to emerge, staff said the utility should “get ahead” of the potential problem.

That logic should alarm every electric customer in Ohio.

“This is ratemaking by speculation,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of energy and advocacy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “PUCO staff is not responding to an actual crisis in AES territory. It is recommending special rate treatment because a crisis might appear someday. Ohio customers deserve evidence, discipline and protection from utility risk-shifting, not new tariffs built on hypotheticals.”

The AES recommendation follows the PUCO’s approval of AEP Ohio’s data center tariff and a separate directive for FirstEnergy utilities to develop data center rate structures.

“One exception becomes a precedent. One precedent becomes a playbook,” Short said. “Ohio can plan for growth without letting monopoly utilities turn hypotheticals into rate design.” 5/22/2026

Ohio spent six years cleaning up the damage from House Bill 6. Lawmakers should not need another scandal to remember the lesson.

House Bill 862 would put monopoly utilities back in the power plant business and revive a customer-backed risk model Ohio should have left behind. Manufacturers need reliable, affordable power, but Ohio does not need to abandon competition or put electric customers on the hook for utility-owned generation to get it.

The political signals are cautious at best. Rep. Bob Peterson, a co-sponsor, told Cleveland.com, “If the bill doesn’t go anywhere, we should at least have the discussion,” while House Speaker Matt Huffman has said he is “not in favor of going back to a time ratepayers pay the costs of any company.”

“Ohio manufacturers support reliable, affordable power, but HB 862 is the wrong model,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services. “This bill would reopen the door to monopoly utility-owned generation and ask customers to carry risks that should belong to investors. Ohio can pursue new generation without repeating the mistakes of HB 6.”

OMA continues to urge lawmakers to protect competition, transparency and customers by keeping monopoly utilities out of the power plant business. 5/18/2026

Ohio regulators have ordered FirstEnergy to create new pricing rules for data center customers, expanding the tariff debate beyond AEP Ohio and raising fresh concerns for manufacturers.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio gave FirstEnergy’s three Ohio utilities 30 days to propose how much more large data centers should pay for transmission costs tied to their growth. The move comes as some lawmakers, including Reps. Dave Thomas and Tristan Rader, are pushing to write separate data center pricing into state law.

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA), which has already challenged AEP Ohio’s data center tariff, warned that calling discriminatory rate treatment a “distinct rate structure” does not change what it is.

“Calling it a ‘distinct rate structure’ does not change what it is,” said OMA President Ryan Augsburger. “It’s a special rate treatment for one category of customer. OMA does not support discriminatory data center tariffs, and Ohio should be very careful about letting monopoly utilities carve up the electric system customer by customer.”

OMA has been clear that real customers should pay real costs. But Ohio should not let monopoly utilities turn speculative growth forecasts into a new tariff playbook that singles out customers, shifts risk and leaves manufacturers exposed. 5/18/2026

Ohio lawmakers this week advanced a major pro-competition energy measure supported by the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA), with the House voting 96-1 to pass Senate Bill 106. The bill would keep electric vehicle charging in Ohio’s competitive retail electric market and prevent monopoly electric utilities from owning and operating charging stations at ratepayer expense.

The bill now returns to the Senate for concurrence on House amendments. OMA has backed the bill as a way to promote private investment, innovation and fair competition as manufacturers continue investing in fleet electrification, charging technologies and the supply chains that support them.

“Ohio’s EV charging market should be built by competition, not monopoly utility ownership,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services. “Senate Bill 106 protects customers from unnecessary costs while giving private investors the certainty they need to keep building Ohio’s charging infrastructure.” 5/21/2026

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association is warning lawmakers that House Bill 862 would let monopoly utilities use nuclear energy as a vehicle to get back into the generation business, protect their returns and put the financial risk on customers’ electric bills.

The AEP-supported proposal would create a “nuclear project financing order,” allowing electric distribution utilities to construct, own and operate nuclear generation. That would mark a major break from Ohio’s competitive electric market and reopen the door to the same customer-funded utility model Ohioans fought during the House Bill 6 era.

“Ohio should pursue nuclear energy, but not by handing monopoly utilities a new path back into generation ownership,” said Ryan Augsburger, OMA president. “This bill is not a nuclear development strategy. It is a utility ownership strategy.”

OMA said nuclear may have a role in Ohio’s energy future, but investment risk should belong with developers and investors, not captive customers. Nuclear should compete on its merits, not ride into law on a monopoly utility financing scheme backed by electric bills. 5/13/2026

Due to strong member interest, registration will close on Tuesday, May 19 for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) Energy Committee meeting at Cenovus in Lima on Wednesday, May 27. Members can attend in person or virtually, but those planning to join the plant tour should register now to secure their spot.

On Wednesday, May 27, members can attend in person or virtually for a timely discussion on key energy issues, with in-person attendees also getting a firsthand look at the oldest continuously operating refinery in the United States as it celebrates 140 years of operation and service to the Lima community.

“Energy decisions being made today will shape what manufacturers pay, how they plan and how Ohio competes for years to come,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services. “This meeting gives members a timely opportunity to cut through the noise, focus on the issues that matter and see firsthand the scale, complexity and importance of energy-intensive manufacturing in Ohio.”

The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by lunch and a plant tour from 1 to 2:30 p.m. An optional member dinner will be held Tuesday, May 26 in Lima.

Members planning to stay overnight can reserve a room at the Wingate by Wyndham, 175 W. Market St., Lima, using group code 052626OHI, or by calling 419-228-7000 and asking for “The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association” group. The room block is available through today (Friday, May 15). 5/15/2026

PJM last week opened its interconnection queue for new power plant applications for the first time since 2022. PJM has been working through a significant backlog of interconnection requests for the past four years, not allowing any new applications to be submitted while capacity prices have soared and new generation is needed to bring prices back down. PJM hopes that their interconnection queue reform will make projects able to pass through the queue faster than previously. PJM is now estimating it needs a one- to two-year study time for new projects.

The new submissions are made up of natural gas, storage, nuclear, solar, wind, hydro and “other.” The other category consists of biomass, coal, methane, and fusion – which has never been scaled-up to commercial capacities. The new applications add up to approximately 220 GW of nameplate capacity, far more than PJM’s entire current peak load of about 160 MW.

The graphic above offers a breakdown of the technology resources newly submitted to PJM’s interconnection queue. While these projects may move through PJM’s study process in one to two years, approval does not guarantee construction. Projects can still take years to come online, and some may never be built.

The recent history is a reminder of that gap. Since 2020, PJM has processed more than 300 GW of proposed projects, but only 103 GW finalized signed interconnection agreements. Even after PJM approval, projects must still clear permitting, financing, supply chain hurdles and state siting requirements before reaching commercial operation.

PJM now has power plant proposals totaling multiple times its own peak load, but the real test is whether queue reform can turn project interest into actual generation quickly enough to ease historically high capacity prices. 5/4/2026

ISO New England has again lowered its 10-year electricity demand forecast, offering another reminder that long-term load projections can change quickly. ISO New England is the regional grid operator serving six New England states, similar to PJM’s role in Ohio and much of the Mid-Atlantic. The grid operator now expects annual electricity consumption to grow about 9% by 2035, down from prior forecasts of 11% growth by 2034 and 17% growth by 2033. The change reflects more conservative assumptions around electric vehicle and heat pump adoption.

That matters far beyond New England. In Ohio and across the country, utilities and grid planners are using forecasts tied to electrification, data centers and economic development to justify major infrastructure spending that could affect customer bills for years.

“Forecasts should guide planning, not become a blank check for customer-funded utility investment,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of energy and advocacy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “Before manufacturers and other customers are asked to pay for projects tied to uncertain future load, regulators should demand transparency, independent review and accountability.” 5/5/2026

AEP Ohio is proposing a 50-mile, 765-kilovolt transmission line across Pike, Jackson and Gallia counties to serve a planned data center campus in Piketon. The utility says the project will be paid for by the data center customer and is not expected to affect other Ohio customers’ rates.

That claim deserves close scrutiny. With utilities planning an estimated $1.4 trillion in grid investments nationwide by 2030, every large transmission project should face tough review over who pays, who benefits and whether costs could be shifted onto other customers later.

“The question is simple: will the customer creating the need pay the full cost, or will those costs eventually find their way onto everyone else’s bills?” said Lindsey Short, managing director of energy and advocacy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “Manufacturers and families deserve clear answers before more infrastructure costs are locked in.” 4/28/2026

At a time when Ohio customers are facing higher energy costs, a new report says AEP CEO Bill Fehrman received $36.6 million in total compensation in 2025, making him the nation’s highest-paid utility executive. According to Columbus Navigator, the average Ohio worker would need about 550 years to earn what Fehrman made in a single year, based on federal wage data.

The issue is bigger than one paycheck. It is whether Ohio’s regulated utility system rewards value to customers or rewards utility growth, capital spending and shareholder returns while ratepayers absorb more risk.

“Ohio customers are being asked to pay more while utility executives are being rewarded like the system is working perfectly,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of energy and advocacy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “That disconnect is exactly why Ohio needs stronger accountability, tougher scrutiny of utility spending and an energy system that puts customers ahead of shareholder returns.” 4/28/2026

A campaign to ban construction of large data centers in Ohio is racing to collect 413,487 valid signatures by July 1 to qualify for the November ballot, underscoring the political backlash building around power demand, water use, infrastructure costs and local control. Similar fights are emerging nationally, with lawmakers in at least 11 states introducing legislation to temporarily ban data centers. The proposed Ohio constitutional amendment would prohibit new data centers with peak loads of more than 25 megawatts per month.

“Ohio should not slam the door on major technology investment, but frustration like this does not come out of nowhere,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of energy and advocacy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “When customers feel growth is being rushed, costs are being shifted and utilities are writing the rules, backlash becomes inevitable. The answer is not a statewide ban. It is transparency, accountability and protection for existing customers.” 4/30/2026

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) will bring its Energy Committee to Lima on Wednesday, May 27 for a meeting hosted by OMA member Cenovus Energy at the company’s Lima refinery. The visit will give manufacturers a timely opportunity to discuss major energy policy and market issues at a facility that has powered Ohio industry for generations. The Lima refinery, the oldest continuously operating refinery in the United States, is marking 140 years of operation and service to the community.

The program will include the committee meeting, a networking lunch and a guided plant tour, with a member dinner scheduled the evening before in downtown Lima.

“Energy decisions carry real consequences for manufacturers, and there is no better place to have that conversation than at a facility like the Lima refinery,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services. “Bringing the committee on site keeps the discussion grounded in the real-world infrastructure, operations and reliability challenges that shape Ohio’s industrial economy.” 4/24/2026

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) is sounding the alarm over AEP Ohio’s proposed data center tariff, warning that major grid investment decisions could move forward before key questions about cost, risk and accountability are fully answered.

Ryan Augsburger, president of the OMA, discussed the issue in a recent interview with WSYX-TV anchor Mike McCarthy, focusing on utility assumptions, customer protections and the financial exposure facing existing ratepayers as large-load projects advance.

“Ohio cannot afford to let speculative growth claims drive costly decisions that leave existing customers exposed,” Augsburger said.

The story is expected to air on WSYX-TV in Columbus in mid-May 2026. 4/21/2026

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) on Tuesday backed Senate Bill 298 as a smart way to expand local energy projects in Ohio without shifting costs onto other electric customers.

OMA energy engineer John Seryak testified before the Senate Energy Committee in support of the bill, which would create a virtual net-metering mechanism for local generation sited at brownfields and similar properties. OMA said the legislation could open more opportunities for manufacturers and other large energy users to invest in local generation while capturing the value of transmission savings tied to those projects.

“We shouldn’t hesitate to attribute electrical transmission and generation savings to the project and customer whose investment produced these savings,” Seryak told lawmakers.

Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services, said the bill takes a practical approach to strengthening Ohio’s energy future.

“The bill is a fair, workable way to get more local generation built in Ohio,” Short said. “It creates more opportunities for investment, makes better use of viable sites and does so without shifting costs to other customers.”

Supporters say the projects could be developed more quickly than large transmission-connected resources, reduce strain on the grid and create more room for economic growth in Ohio. 4/14/2026

Early bird registration is now open for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association’s (OMA) 2026 Energy Conference on Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Hilton Columbus Downtown, 401 N. High St., Columbus.

The conference is OMA’s premier energy event of the year, bringing together manufacturers, energy professionals and policy leaders for a full day focused on the issues driving cost, reliability and competitiveness.

Topics will include microgrids, on-site generation and energy efficiency; electricity and natural gas market updates; Ohio energy policy and regulatory developments; load forecasting; transmission; emerging behind-the-meter technologies; and lessons from peer manufacturers.

“Energy decisions are getting more complex, more expensive and more consequential,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services. “This conference is where manufacturers get the facts, the strategy and the connections they need to stay ahead.”

Early bird pricing is $125 for OMA members, $250 for non-members and $99 for government attendees. Full agenda, speakers and additional event details will be announced soon.

Register now to lock in early bird pricing. 4/17/2026

The biggest question in Ohio’s energy debate is no longer whether the grid needs investment. It is whether customers are being asked to pay for upgrades tied to speculative demand rather than real, measurable load. Utilities say major infrastructure spending is necessary to maintain reliability and prepare for future growth, especially from large new loads such as data centers.

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) has warned that the biggest risk is not growth itself, but how speculative demand forecasts can be used to justify major grid investments long before that demand is proven. Because regulated utilities earn guaranteed returns on infrastructure spending, larger forecasts can translate into larger projects and higher costs for existing customers.

“Utilities have every reason to forecast high, because bigger projections help justify bigger projects and bigger returns,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of energy and advocacy services. “When those forecasts are wrong, shareholders are protected and customers still pay. That is not how risk is supposed to work.”

OMA has pointed to AEP Ohio’s data center tariff as a key example of how projected growth can move quickly from speculation to planning assumption. Manufacturers support a reliable and modern grid, but the association says regulators must ensure investment decisions are grounded in verified demand, not hype about future load growth. 4/8/2026

A Summit County judge has set a late-September retrial for former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and ex-lobbyist Michael Dowling after their state bribery case ended in a mistrial. Prosecutors sought more time following a death in the family of a lead attorney, but Judge Susan Baker Ross pushed to keep the case moving and made clear she wants it resolved in 2026. The men face state and federal charges tied to allegations that FirstEnergy paid a $4.3 million bribe to Ohio’s former top utility regulator.

“This case has already cast a long shadow over Ohio energy policy,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of energy and advocacy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “Getting it resolved matters because manufacturers and other customers deserve a system grounded in accountability, not scandal.” 4/9/2026