Exelon’s “high probability” data center load pipeline across its utilities in Illinois and the Mid-Atlantic fell nearly 40%, from 18 GW to 11 GW, after the company began requiring developers to make firmer financial commitments through transmission service agreements.

The drop did not occur in Ohio, but the lesson is directly relevant here. Seven gigawatts of supposedly likely demand disappeared once developers had to demonstrate that their projects were real.

“Exelon did what every utility and grid operator should be doing before speculative demand is used to justify billions of dollars in new spending,” said Lindsey Short, managing director of advocacy and energy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “Require meaningful commitments, weed out the projects that exist only on paper and make sure customers are paying for actual need, not somebody’s wish list.”

Ohio policymakers and reporters should take note. Huge load projections deserve scrutiny, not automatic acceptance. 8/3/2026