Ohio electricity customers could pay an extra $16 billion between 2027 and 2034 as data center demand grows, a Scioto Analysis report found.

The finding lands close to home. New Albany's International Business Park houses 40 operating data centers tied to companies including Google, Meta and Amazon Web Services, with 28 more planned or under construction, according to News 5 Cleveland. Data centers probably fill at least a third of the park's land, Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany's community development director, told the outlet.

Reporter Anna Staver reported the study's findings for Cleveland.com on Oct. 9. The Scioto Analysis report projected higher electricity prices tied to data center growth could cost Ohio customers an additional $16 billion between 2027 and 2034 under current policies.

The researchers wrote that they may be underestimating the impact. "It's possible that we are underestimating the impact of data centers in Ohio on electricity prices, as demand for data centers in Ohio has been high," the report stated, according to Cleveland.com.

But the number comes with caveats. Scioto did not run its own Ohio-specific grid simulation, GovTech reported on Oct. 13. Instead, the firm applied a 16% price-increase assumption from a national study to Ohio retail electricity-sales data and extended it through 2034. The national study modeled conditions only through 2030. Scioto assumed the same annual pace of increase would continue four more years.

The $16 billion is a modeled estimate, not an independently established increase in retail rates, GovTech noted. The analysis also does not break down how much of the projected cost would fall on households versus businesses.

Shrinking returns

The cost-benefit picture has shifted. Ohio received roughly $5 in economic benefits for every $1 in costs from data centers between 2013 and 2026, according to the report. That ratio produced about $77 billion in benefits and $15 billion in costs, Cleveland.com reported.

Going forward, the math tightens. The report projected about $65 billion in benefits and $62 billion in costs between 2027 and 2034. Across 10,000 simulations, the middle result was a net loss of $6.7 billion, according to Cleveland.com.

Jobs tell a similar story. Data center development helped create about 96,000 estimated broader employment gains associated with data center development in Ohio between 2013 and 2026, the report estimated. For 2027 through 2034, it projected only about 14,000 more. Communities saw a boost when data centers first arrived, but adding more facilities did not bring the same gains, according to the analysis.

Rob Moore, principal of Scioto Analysis, said the costs data centers impose on third parties matter. Separately, the report identified air pollution as the largest cost category. Researchers estimated pollution from generating electricity for data centers could create $41 billion in health and environmental costs between 2027 and 2034, according to Cleveland.com.

What's happening in New Albany

Meta's Prometheus campus sits on 740 acres in the business park's Licking County portion. The company erected five tent-like structures between April and June 2026, each spanning about 125,000 square feet, to house AI servers, according to MLQ. Williams is developing two dedicated natural gas plants with a combined capacity of 400 megawatts.

Ohio utilities have begun creating special rate classes for large data centers to shield other customers from some costs, Cleveland.com reported. Those new rates are being challenged at the Ohio Supreme Court.

State lawmakers tried and failed to pass new data center restrictions earlier in 2026 and are expected to revisit the issue after the November election, according to Cleveland.com. The Scioto Analysis report also modeled alternatives, including requiring new data centers to generate their own power with 90% renewable energy, which scored the highest benefit-cost ratio of any scenario tested.