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