Ohio data center and energy laws

What it would do: Amends Ohio tax credit and incentive programs for job creation, megaprojects, and data centers. Establishes requirements for data center electricity sourcing, water conservation reporting, wastewater monitoring, and limits property tax exemptions for data centers to fifty percent of increased value.

What it would do: Prohibits the tax credit authority from entering into new agreements granting sales tax exemptions on computer data center equipment after October 2026, while allowing existing agreements to continue under their current terms.

What it would do: Requires data centers to measure, track, and report monthly and yearly water consumption to the chief of the division of water resources. Prohibits data centers from including water consumption information in nondisclosure agreements with political subdivisions, with violations subject to civil fines up to one thousand dollars.

What it would do: Requires data center owners or operators to obtain a permit before consumptively using any amount of water and prohibits data centers from withdrawing more than an average of five million gallons per day in any thirty-day period. Makes data centers responsible for all infrastructure costs incurred by water and sewer systems attributable to their establishment and operation.

What it would do: Requires persons to obtain Public Utilities Commission approval before formally applying for interconnection service to connect data centers with aggregate monthly maximum demand exceeding twenty-five thousand kilowatt hours to Ohio's electrical grid.

What it would do: Imposes minimum requirements on data center customers of electric distribution utilities, including binding commitments with minimum demand, long-term service agreements, exit fees, collateral, and financial assurance to protect other customer classes from stranded costs.

What it would do: Prohibits the state and political subdivisions from awarding incentives for new data center construction or operation, and restricts new data centers from being built on prime farmland, public land, or residential neighborhoods unless the county commissioners authorize it on voluntarily sold farmland. Requires new data centers to demonstrate their electric load will not increase rates for residential, agricultural, or small business customers.

What it would do: Allows natural gas companies to establish alternative rate plans for large load customers consuming over 1.2 million Mcf annually, and modifies property valuation procedures for natural gas, water-works, and sewage disposal companies to permit projected valuations and multiple adjustment dates.