AEP Ohio

The demand for computing power at data centers is growing faster than the grid can produce the supply. AEP Ohio is proposing a new way to bring electricity to two large data centers that won’t tax the grid in an application the company filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

To meet the demand, progressives say there's untapped potential in solar and wind renewables, as battery technologies catch up and get less expensive. But conservatives want to rely on fuel sources they say are better suited to Ohio, like natural gas.

Ohio Consumers' Counsel attorney Bill Michael's line of questioning on Tuesday suggested companies like Amazon, Meta and Microsoft can afford to pay their fair share, when it comes to purchasing electricity.

AEP, the PUCO staff and the Ohio Consumers Counsel want data center companies to pay 85% of the electricity usage. The companies wanted to pay 75% of the cost.

A deal between AEP Ohio and Intel to have AEP Ohio's customers foot the $95-million bill for the new electric infrastructure Intel needs is gaining more support.

Intel and AEP Ohio have come to an arrangement for how the chip manufacturer will pay the electric company for services. The agreement relies on AEP Ohio's customers to foot the bill.

The Public Utility Commission of Ohio approved new reliability standards for AEP Ohio. The standards will require the company to reduce power outages, instead of allowing them to increase as the company initially requested.

Amazon wants a discount on the massive amount of electricity their new data centers will use in central Ohio over the next decade, according to a Business Insider article.

Ohio’s electric customers were charged more than $100 million to subsidize two unprofitable coal plants in 2020.

Electric customers of AEP Ohio will pay more in transmission costs this year. Residential customers will pay about $10 more a month in transmission costs.