Last month, The Columbus Dispatch reported that SoftBank Group will begin construction of its Ports-Pike Technology Campus next year. The campus will be a massive data center complex planned for the site of the former Department of Energy Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant just south of Piketon. According to OpenAI, the megasite’s customer, it is expected to be operational by 2031.
The project is huge and complex, involving infrastructure spanning multiple counties. It includes newly proposed and legacy fossil fuel power plants, multiple regulatory agencies, at least half a dozen private companies, an Ohio University-led outreach project, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Ohio currently ranks 5th in the country for data centers. In response to the onslaught, Ohioans from across the state have organized over the past year to protect their communities from unwanted developments, resulting in the passage of more than 125 temporary moratoriums and a handful of permanent bans. Unfortunately, because the U.S. DOE owns the site where this project is slated to be built, these tools cannot be leveraged here.
However, numerous permits must be acquired along the way. Each will include opportunities for public input, which could influence site impacts and the timeline of various pieces of the project.
It is critical that the public raise concerns about cumulative impacts from the many pieces of infrastructure for this project. Every project will have environmental impacts, and they should not be considered in isolation as if they are not actually part of one very large and complex project.
Who is behind PORTS-Pike Technology Campus?
AEP Ohio (now Ohio Power Company, as of October 1, 2026) – transmission infrastructure; capacity is expected to come online in phases beginning in 2028
NVIDIA – multinational tech company based in California, and investor in PORTS-Pike
OpenAI – artificial intelligence company headed by Sam Altman, owner of ChatGPT, project’s sole customer, who will have a twenty-year contract with PORTS-Pike
PJM Interconnection, LLC – regional grid operator, applicant for infrastructure expansion agreement with FERC
PORTSfuture – Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service group that will engage in activities that support the efficient and economical restoration of the former site of the U.S. DOE’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS)
Portsmouth Gas DevCo, LLC – developer of natural gas-fired electric generation facilities and associated infrastructure, such as substations and electrical lines for PORTS-Pike Energy Center
SoftBank Group (SBG) – Japanese investment and tech company behind “investment strategy”
SoftBank Energy – Developer that will build, own, and operate the data center infrastructure
Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) – economic development organization with three staff members and 15 board members
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) – PORTS site owner, making federal property associated with the former Portsmouth uranium enrichment complex available
What infrastructure will be involved?
PORTS-Pike Technology Campus – 10GW data center campus at former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site, owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. Construction to begin in late 2026.
PORTS Energy Centers – Gas plants totaling 9.2 GW. This will be connected to the grid, but PORTS-Pike technology campus will buy the electricity through a power purchase agreement.
- PORTS Energy Center – Portsmouth Gas DevCo, LLC, 1.77 GW, 860 acres, construction to begin in early 2027
- PORTS Energy Center II – Portsmouth Gas DevCo, LLC, up to 5 GW
- Additional gas plants to follow
Gas pipeline – details TBD
Transmission Lines and substations – one has applied for a permit so far.
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- The Baku-Gavin Transmission Line is the first to be proposed. It will run from the Gavin substation in Gallia County to Baku, a newly proposed substation in Pike County. This will total 51 miles of 765 kV transmission line facilities.
- A second proposed transmission line, Hanging Rock-Baku, would run from the Hanging Rock substation in Lawrence County to the Baku substation.
- Information is not yet available online about a possible third transmission line that will run from Ross County to Pike County.
What regulatory agencies will be involved in permitting PORTS-Pike and related infrastructure?
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) – Tasked with approving PJM infrastructure agreement. Will approve TBD gas pipeline.
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) – Tasked with issuing 401 permits for streams and wetlands to be filled during construction and air pollution permits for power generation
Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) – Agency responsible for permitting large energy generation, gas pipelines, and transmission projects in Ohio and will be tasked with permits for PORTS-Pike’s gas plants, as well as transmission lines and substations. OPSB is part of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO).
In addition to the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus buildout, additional energy projects are proposed for the site, including nuclear to provide energy to Meta’s hyperscale data center in New Albany, Ohio.
How you can take action:
OEPA has a public hearing scheduled for November 4 at 6 pm in Waverly for PORTS Technology Center Wetland Permits. To share your concerns, show up to the hearing and sign up to speak. You can also submit written comments until November 12. Read all the details here.
OEPA Hearing
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Pike County YMCA
400 Pride Dr, Waverly, OH 45690
Portsmouth Gas DevCo, LLC (“Portsmouth Gas”) has scheduled two public information sessions for PORTS Energy Center II on November 5 and November 12. See the complete details here.
PORTS Energy Center II Public Info Sessions
Thursday, November 5, 2026 and Thursday, November 12, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Pike County Career Tech Center
175 Beaver Creek Rd, Piketon, OH 45661
The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) will hold a local public hearing regarding Portsmouth Gas DevCo, LLC’s proposal to construct a natural gas-fired electric generation facility near Piketon, Ohio. Find all the details here.
OPSB Public Hearing
Thursday, December 10, 2026, 5:00 PM
Piketon High School Auditorium
1414 Piketon Rd, Piketon, Ohio 45661
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