EdgeConneX's Major Ohio Data Center Plan Faces Local Opposition Over Environmental, Utility Concerns
November 28, 2025
A proposed large-scale data center campus by EdgeConneX in rural Ohio has ignited local opposition, highlighting the growing tension between the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure and community concerns over environmental impact and utility costs. The project underscores the challenges hyperscale developers face when moving into new, less-saturated markets that lack established power and community frameworks.
EdgeConneX, a global data center provider owned by EQT, is planning a significant campus on a 680-acre plot of farmland in Pickaway County, just south of Columbus. According to site plans reviewed by local media, the development would include the construction of a substantial 1.8-gigawatt electrical substation and a 200-megawatt natural gas turbine energy center to power the facility. While the exact IT capacity of the campus remains undisclosed, the scale of the supporting power infrastructure indicates a major hyperscale project.
The company is currently seeking to annex part of the land and has applied for a 30-year full tax abatement for the site. Village administrator Bert Cline told local news outlet WBNS that construction could ideally begin in the spring of 2026. However, the proposal has met with significant criticism from residents of the village of Ashville, who have raised concerns about potential spikes in utility bills, noise pollution from the gas plant, and the broader environmental footprint of the development.
This project represents a strategic expansion for EdgeConneX, which operates or is developing over 80 data centers across more than 50 markets worldwide but does not currently have a facility in Ohio. The company is concurrently developing another site in the established Columbus suburb of New Albany, which also includes plans for a natural gas power plant. Pickaway County itself is not a traditional data center hub, with most of Ohio's activity concentrated around Columbus, though Amazon Web Services also acquired land in the county last year.
The local pushback in Pickaway County reflects a broader industry trend where massive, power-intensive data center projects are increasingly scrutinized for their strain on local grids and their environmental sustainability. The outcome of this proposal could influence how other developers approach site selection and community engagement in emerging markets across the United States.
Source: datacenterdynamics
