The Ohio Power Siting Board has approved the construction of a 200-megawatt natural gas-fired electric generation facility in Licking County and the city of New Albany. This facility will not be connected to the power grid.
According to a news release, the Socrates South Power Generation Project will operate "behind-the-meter" to serve the electric load of an adjacent data center. It will not be physically connected to the electric power grid.
The news release states that Will-Power OH, a subsidiary of the Williams Companies, will construct and operate the generation facility. Sidecat LLC, an affiliate of Meta Platforms Inc., will consume the electric power generated by the project. Sidecat owns a 740-acre industrial property campus in the New Albany Business Park, where the 20-acre generation facility will be located.
According to the release, Sidecat has built multiple data centers on this campus. Its latest data center is currently under construction next to the generational facility site. The natural gas supply for this generation facility will come from two 24-inch diameter gas pipelines that are subject to future applications with the Ohio Power Siting Board.
The release indicates that more information about the Socrates South Power Generation Project, including maps of the area, can be found under case number 25-00185-EL-BLN.
