The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) is done watching speculative data-center forecasts turn into real bills.

At the Ohio Manufacturers’ Energy Conference, Dr. Jonathan Koomey examined the assumptions behind projections of explosive electricity demand from data centers and AI, explaining why short-term trends, uncertain adoption and efficiency gains can make straight-line forecasts dangerously unreliable.

“Enough. Utilities keep putting enormous forecasts on the table, regulators keep treating them like facts and customers keep getting stuck with the risk,” said OMA President Ryan Augsburger. “If utilities and grid operators want to spend billions chasing projected demand, then prove the demand first.”

Koomey also warned that prospective data-center load can be counted more than once and cited estimates that interconnection queues may overstate the demand that ultimately materializes by three to five times.

Augsburger said that is exactly why regulators need to start acting like the check they are supposed to be.

“If regulators are going to approve billions in spending, they damn well better know the demand is real.” 8/27/2026