Ohio PUCO orders safeguards on data center energy costs

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) issued an order directing AEP Ohio to put in place protections that prevent data‑center customers from raising energy prices for other ratepayers. Data‑center users must give AEP Ohio a 180‑day notice before reverting to the Standard Service Offer (SSO). After notice, AEP Ohio will procure electricity for the data‑center load through separate stand‑alone auctions or spot‑market purchases, and the full cost will be charged to the data‑center customer, shielding other customers from any price impact.

PUCO Chair Jenifer French said, “We continue to implement safeguards to ensure that other customers are not impacted by costs to serve large loads like data centers… Ohio is fully committed to protecting customers from added costs related to data‑center buildout.” The order builds on PUCO’s earlier work to create separate rate classes for data‑center customers and its Ratepayer Protection Pledge. Under Ohio law, customers may choose their own electricity supplier; utilities serve those who do not through wholesale auctions.