COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine acknowledged Wednesday that Ohio is facing an energy crunch as demand for electricity soars from data-center construction.
However, speaking with editorial board for cleveland.com |The Plain Dealer, the Greene County Republican didn’t offer any specific proposals his administration will pursue to promote more energy development during his final 11 months in office.
Related video: Watch the full discussion between Gov. Mike DeWine and the editorial board.
Rather, DeWine noted that he’s joined with other governors in pushing Ohio’s regional power-grid operator to ensure that energy-guzzling data centers don’t hike prices for other customers.
State utility regulators also voted last year to require data centers to pay a larger share of the cost to expand electric grids.
“I happen to think that the evidence shows that they are helpful to the economy,” DeWine said of Ohio’s 200-plus data centers, the fifth-most in the nation. “But it’s clear that, you know. householders shouldn’t have to be paying for their energy.”
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Last July, Ohioans’ electricity bills increased by an average of 10%-15% — a jump industry experts say is due in large part to predicted demands from data centers. Another, smaller spike in prices is expected next summer.
Besides reining in higher prices, another major way to keep energy prices under control is to increase the supply of electricity. DeWine pointed to the recent announcement of $100 million in grants and low-interest loans from JobsOhio, the state’s economic-development nonprofit, for the state’s natural gas and nuclear-power industries.
“Natural gas is going to continue to be our spot, our sweet spot,” DeWine said. “I think in the long run, nuclear is where this country is going. It’s where the world is going.”
