COLUMBUS — The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) approved the construction of a 250-megawatt natural gas fired electric generation facility in Licking County. The Socrates the Younger (STY) Power Generation Facility will operate “behind-the-meter” to serve the electric load of an adjacent data center and will not be physically connected to the electric power grid.
Will-Power OH, LLC will construct and operate the power plant on 109 acres at the southwest corner of Clover Valley Road and Harrison Road NW in New Albany. The project will incorporate 116 MW of battery energy storage to accommodate fluctuations in demand and mitigate unplanned outages.
Will-Power OH must adhere to 36 conditions designed to minimize potential impacts during construction and operation. Sidecat, LLC, an affiliate of Meta Platforms, Inc. will consume the power generated by the facility.
More information regarding the STY facility and maps of the project area are available online at dis.puc.state.oh.us by searching case 26-0169-EL-BLN. The OPSB hosts an online mapping tool that illustrates the location of the facility and other approved and pending natural gas fired generation projects in Ohio.