Energy

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) is challenging state utility regulators after they again sided with electric companies over customers, approving more than $180 million in disputed costs tied to aging coal plants that cost more to operate than they earn. The Nov. 4 decision by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) comes as a new governor prepares to take office, raising fresh questions about whether Ohio’s utility watchdog is doing its job.

The costs stem from subsidies for Ohio Valley Electric Corporation coal plants established under House Bill 6. Although lawmakers repealed the subsidies in 2025, Ohio customers have already paid more than $683 million. The latest ruling rejected challenges to utility spending and declined to order refunds, leaving manufacturers and other electricity customers responsible for costs they argue should never have been approved.

“At some point, Ohioans have to wonder whether the utilities will ever be held accountable for their unreasonable actions,” said OMA President Ryan Augsburger. “The PUCO’s own auditor acknowledges that these plants cost more than they earn, yet regulators keep finding reasons to approve the costs and dismiss the challenges. That’s not meaningful oversight. That’s a free pass.”

In a Nov. 5 statement, OMA called on the incoming administration to demand greater accountability from the PUCO. The stakes extend beyond coal subsidies. As utilities seek billions in new infrastructure spending based on uncertain data center forecasts, manufacturers face the prospect of paying for costly projects that may never be needed. Ohio’s next governor has an opportunity to change that. 11/5/2026

Ohio manufacturers face mounting electricity costs as lawmakers and grid operators consider proposals that could add billions more. The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) will examine what’s at stake during its Energy Committee meeting Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m. to noon.

With the General Assembly entering its lame duck session, members will hear updates on data center legislation, OMA’s alternative to AEP Ohio’s controversial tariff and efforts to challenge inflated utility load forecasts. The committee will also examine PJM’s proposed reliability backstop procurement process and the financial risks of committing to new power generation based on speculative demand.

“Somebody has to pay for all this infrastructure, and right now too much of the risk is landing on customers who are already here,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of advocacy and energy services. “If a data center needs thousands of megawatts of new power, it should be making real financial commitments before Ohio businesses are asked to pick up the tab.”

Members can attend at OMA’s Columbus offices or virtually via Zoom. The meeting will also celebrate OMA’s 116th anniversary, followed by a networking lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Register here to participate. 11/6/2026

Rising electricity costs, grid constraints and reliability concerns are prompting manufacturers to take a closer look at onsite power generation as a way to protect production, limit disruptions and gain greater control over energy expenses.

Bloom Energy’s Onsite Power Playbook for Manufacturers provides a practical framework for evaluating onsite generation, including the financial and operational consequences of power outages, delayed grid connections and unpredictable electricity costs.

The playbook includes checklists to help companies assess generation options based on reliability, fuel requirements, installation timelines and long-term costs. It also examines the often-overlooked expenses associated with downtime, lost production and equipment damage, helping manufacturers weigh those risks against the investment required for onsite power.

With electricity affordability and reliability increasingly critical to Ohio’s manufacturing competitiveness, companies need to understand all their options. Onsite generation is not the right fit for every facility, but the playbook offers a useful starting point for manufacturers weighing energy investments against the cost of doing nothing. 11/2/2026

Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) leaders visited member Centrus Energy yesterday for a firsthand look at the precision manufacturing and advanced technology helping rebuild America’s domestic nuclear fuel industry.

OMA President Ryan Augsburger was joined by Lindsey Short, Nick Miller and Nate Mays, along with Brad Belden, president and COO of The Belden Brick Company and chair of OMA’s Energy Committee; Kim Bojko, OMA’s chief energy counsel; and Tim Ling, senior director of environmental at Plaskolite. Ray Fischels, Centrus’ director of centrifuge assembly, led the facility tour, offering an inside look at the specialized equipment and expertise behind the company’s operations.

The visit comes as Centrus advances a multibillion-dollar expansion of its uranium enrichment operations in Piketon. Supported in part by a $900 million federal award, the project is expected to create 1,000 construction jobs and 300 permanent positions while strengthening domestic nuclear fuel production. The investment underscores Ohio’s growing role in meeting America’s energy needs and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.

“Ohio manufacturers need reliable, affordable electricity, and that requires a strong, secure domestic energy supply chain,” Short said. “Centrus is making a significant investment in the technology, skilled workers and production capacity our country needs. Expanding American nuclear fuel production strengthens energy security and supports the long-term competitiveness of Ohio manufacturing.” 10/29/2026

Speculative electricity demand from data centers is driving billions of dollars in costs that Ohio manufacturers and other existing customers could be left paying. Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) President Ryan Augsburger delivered that warning during an Oct. 23 discussion at The City Club of Cleveland, challenging utility forecasts that could saddle customers with expensive infrastructure built for projects that never materialize.

Appearing alongside representatives of FirstEnergy and the Ohio Business Roundtable, Augsburger questioned the assumptions behind projected electricity demand and the financial risks those forecasts create. PJM’s independent market monitor found that unbuilt data centers contributed approximately $21.3 billion in capacity costs over three years, compared with $1.8 billion attributable to operating facilities.

“Ohio manufacturers shouldn’t be financing infrastructure for projects that may never materialize,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of advocacy and energy services. “If a developer needs new transmission capacity, that developer should make a meaningful financial commitment up front. Existing customers shouldn’t be left paying the bill when projections fall apart.”

OMA is pressing for greater transparency in utility forecasting, independent verification of projected demand and stronger financial safeguards before costly infrastructure investments are approved. The association maintains that developers bringing new electricity demand onto the grid should bear the costs and risks associated with serving it, rather than shifting those burdens to Ohio’s existing manufacturers and households. 10/26/2026

Google and energy technology company Voltus are expanding their partnership to provide more than 1,000 megawatts of flexible electricity capacity across the PJM grid, offering a new approach to managing rising power demand without relying exclusively on new generation and transmission infrastructure.

Under the agreement, Google will fund a virtual power plant developed by Voltus that brings together participating homes, businesses and industrial facilities willing to reduce electricity consumption or use batteries and on-site generation when the grid is strained. Participants receive financial compensation for providing that flexibility. The latest agreement adds 1,070 megawatts to an initial 100-megawatt commitment announced in June.

“New electricity demand should come with new solutions, not just new costs for existing customers,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of advocacy and energy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA). “Efforts that strengthen grid reliability while limiting cost exposure are worth exploring.”

Voltus expects to develop the full capacity over three to four years, with the agreement extending through 2040. As PJM confronts tightening electricity supplies and growing data center demand, the partnership offers a potential way to ease pressure on the grid. Its ultimate impact will depend on how much capacity is delivered, when it becomes available and how reliably it performs during periods of peak demand. 10/26/2026

America’s ability to compete with China increasingly depends on access to affordable, reliable electricity. A new analysis warns that the United States risks surrendering a critical industrial advantage as electricity costs rise and investments in power infrastructure struggle to keep pace with growing demand.

High electricity costs and delays in connecting new power generation threaten America’s industrial competitiveness. With manufacturers already facing intense pressure from Chinese competitors, rising energy expenses create another obstacle to domestic investment, production growth and job creation.

Ohio’s nearly 690,000 manufacturing jobs and approximately $138 billion in annual manufacturing output depend on an economy where companies can produce goods at competitive costs. Steelmakers, automotive suppliers, chemical producers and other energy-intensive industries rely on affordable electricity to maintain production and justify future investments. Rising utility bills, compounded by infrastructure spending tied to speculative demand forecasts, threaten to make Ohio-made products more expensive and weaken the state’s position in global markets.

“Ohio manufacturers are competing against China every day. They shouldn’t also be forced to pay for billions in electric infrastructure built around demand that may never materialize,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of advocacy and energy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “Every unnecessary dollar added to an Ohio manufacturer’s electric bill is money that can’t be invested in new equipment, expanded production or good-paying jobs. We should be making it easier to manufacture in Ohio, not more expensive.” 10/27/2026

Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) President Ryan Augsburger will challenge the assumptions behind rising electricity costs today during the City Club of Cleveland’s Future of Energy in Ohio forum. Beginning at noon, the discussion will bring competing perspectives on utility accountability, grid reliability and the financial risks associated with Ohio’s projected data center boom before a statewide audience.

Augsburger will join representatives from FirstEnergy and the Ohio Business Roundtable for a discussion moderated by City Club CEO Dan Moulthrop. Augsburger will press for greater scrutiny of utility electricity demand forecasts, examine how PJM’s regional electricity market is driving higher costs and question why existing customers should bear the financial risk of infrastructure investments tied to speculative growth.

“Manufacturers make major investment decisions all the time, and they don’t get to pass the bill to someone else when their projections are wrong,” said Lindsey Short, OMA’s managing director of advocacy and energy services. “Yet that’s effectively what we’re allowing utilities to do. If utilities want customers to pay for billions in new infrastructure, they should have to prove the demand exists and explain who’s responsible when it doesn’t.”

The forum is open to everyone via livestream beginning at noon. 10/23/2026

Ohio manufacturers are already paying more for electricity. Now, speculative data center demand and proposals for new power infrastructure threaten to push costs even higher, leaving existing customers exposed to billions in potential financial risk.

With critical decisions approaching in the General Assembly’s lame duck session and at PJM, OMA’s Energy Committee will meet Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m. to noon to examine the proposals, their potential costs and what’s being done to protect manufacturers.

“Ohio manufacturers should not be writing blank checks for electricity demand that may never materialize,” said Lindsey Short, OMA managing director of advocacy and energy services. “We need credible forecasts, real financial commitments from large new customers and an energy market that rewards competition instead of shifting risk onto everyone already paying the bills.”

The agenda will focus on potential legislation affecting data center tariffs, OMA’s push for greater transparency and accountability in utility load forecasts, and PJM’s proposed reliability backstop procurement process. Members will get an inside look at the policy debates, the financial risks and OMA’s efforts to ensure new demand pays for new demand.

The meeting will also celebrate 116 years of OMA advocacy on behalf of Ohio manufacturing, followed by a networking lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Members can attend at OMA’s Columbus offices or virtually via Zoom.

Register here to participate. 10/23/2026

Ohio’s fight over discriminatory electricity tariffs could have consequences far beyond the state’s borders. The OMA Energy Group’s (OMAEG) challenge to AEP Ohio’s data center tariff is before the Ohio Supreme Court, with the outcome potentially influencing how utilities and regulators nationwide establish rates for large electricity customers.

RTO Insider examines the case and its national implications, including concerns that utilities could single out specific industries for different rate treatment without demonstrating corresponding differences in service costs. OMAEG’s challenge focuses on protecting manufacturers from discriminatory rates while ensuring that new electricity demand bears the costs it creates.

“Data centers should pay for the infrastructure their demand requires, and existing customers should be protected from those costs,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of advocacy and energy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “But protecting customers cannot become an excuse for utilities to impose discriminatory rates without demonstrating that those differences are justified. If that precedent stands, manufacturers could be next.”

The dispute also carries legislative implications as Ohio lawmakers consider House Bill 646, which OMAEG warns could write the contested tariff approach into state law. With similar debates unfolding across the country, the Supreme Court’s eventual decision could establish an important precedent for how utilities treat energy-intensive industries, making the stakes especially significant for Ohio’s manufacturing economy. 10/19/2026

This week, PJM issued a Capacity Advisory for Oct. 12–14 and escalated to a Maximum Generation Alert and Load Management Alert on Oct. 13, while recalling planned maintenance outages for Oct. 14. PJM attributed the tight conditions to unusually warm fall weather coinciding with significant planned generation and transmission outages, with roughly 62,000 megawatts of generation outages expected during the affected period. Outages of this scale are common for traditional thermal power generation during the fall season.

The U.S. Department of Energy also issued an emergency order for Oct. 13–16 that temporarily expands PJM’s ability to access additional generation, including, under specified emergency conditions, backup generators at data centers and other large commercial and industrial facilities. Ohio manufacturers participating in PJM’s demand response program may have been called to curtail this week during the alerts. 10/15/2026

Billions of dollars in transmission investments could be on the line as utilities prepare for projected data center demand that may never materialize. AEP Ohio maintains that its existing tariff protects customers from those risks, but significant questions remain about who ultimately pays when forecasts fall short and whether its protections go far enough.

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) has repeatedly warned that financial commitments from data center developers do not necessarily protect existing customers from the full costs of infrastructure built to accommodate those projects. OMA’s agreement with AES Ohio takes a different approach, emphasizing upfront financial responsibility for infrastructure investments driven by new demand rather than exposing existing customers to costs that developers fail to cover.

The distinction is becoming increasingly important as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) considers new requirements governing large electricity loads and transmission cost allocation. AEP’s existing tariff should not automatically become the benchmark for federal protections simply because it is already in place. Any new standard must be judged by how effectively it assigns costs and financial risks to the customers responsible for creating them.

“AEP doesn’t get to set the standard just because it got there first,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of advocacy and energy services for the OMA. “FERC needs to determine what actually protects existing customers, not simply validate what’s already on the books. When data center forecasts don’t materialize, manufacturers shouldn’t be stuck paying for infrastructure somebody else demanded.”

With billions in potential infrastructure investments at stake, the consequences of getting those rules wrong could extend decades beyond the original forecasts. Existing customers should not become the financial backstop for speculative electricity demand. New demand should pay for new demand. 10/8/2026

FERC has directed PJM to revise and delay its proposed Reliability Backstop Procurement, raising concerns about whether the special capacity procurement would properly assign costs to the large loads driving the need for new power.

The commission delayed the procurement for five months and said PJM must do more to ensure costs are allocated to the customers responsible for creating them. FERC also questioned PJM’s proposed collateral requirements and directed the grid operator to use more current load forecasts when determining how costs are assigned.

“FERC is asking the right questions about who is driving these costs and who should be responsible for paying them,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of advocacy and energy services at the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA). “Existing customers should not become the backstop for speculative load growth. Better forecasting and clear cost responsibility have to come first.”

The order keeps the backstop procurement alive while putting two issues OMA has repeatedly emphasized at the center of the debate. Forecasts need to reflect demand that is likely to materialize, and new demand should bear the costs it creates. 9/30/2026

This week, Reps. David Thomas and Tristan Rader introduced the bipartisan Ohio Power Outage Relief Act, which would require electric distribution utilities to provide bill credits and reimburse customers for certain losses tied to qualifying prolonged or repeated outages.

The bill arrives as Ohio customers continue to face concerns about both electric reliability and affordability.

“Ohio customers should not have to choose between reliable power and affordable power,” said Lindsey Short, Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) managing director of advocacy and energy services. “Utilities should be accountable for the service they provide, and any reliability solution should be judged by whether it actually improves the system without simply pushing more costs onto customers.”

OMA continues to push for greater scrutiny of utility load forecasts, stronger oversight of transmission spending and protections against shifting the costs of new large loads onto existing customers, all with the goal of improving reliability without piling more costs onto Ohio businesses and families. 9/23/2026

PJM called on demand response resources Sept. 17 as generator and transmission outages combined with unusually warm weather in the southern part of its footprint.

The event stood out because it came on a relatively mild September day in much of Ohio, raising fresh questions about how much operating margin exists when parts of the system are unavailable.

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) Energy Group is reviewing the event and gathering feedback from manufacturers that were asked to interrupt production. Members with information about how the call affected their operations are encouraged to contact Nick Miller at OMA.

“Manufacturers can help us understand what this event looked like on the ground,” Miller said. “If you were asked to curtail load or interrupt production, we want to hear what happened, how much notice you received and what the operational impact was. That information helps us make the case for a system that works better for the companies depending on it.”

OMA continues to focus on reliability, system planning and the costs manufacturers bear when the grid is strained. What happened Sept. 17 gives manufacturers another real-world example of why those issues matter. 9/18/2026

Last week, the OMA Energy Group and others urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to strengthen regulatory oversight of supplemental transmission projects, which can be approved with limited review while their costs are ultimately recovered from customers. With transmission spending in Ohio now exceeding $3 billion annually, the OMA has emphasized that customers should not be expected to provide a blank check for transmission spending.

Meaningful regulatory oversight, transparency, and stakeholder review are necessary to ensure projects are truly needed, costs are reasonable, and utilities are held accountable before hundreds of millions of dollars in additional transmission investments are passed through to Ohio manufacturers and other customers. 9/16/26