Calls for clarity grow after commissioners reject countywide data center moratorium

Adams County commissioners declined to impose a county-wide moratorium on data-center development at their March 2 meeting as residents filled the session and pressed officials for clearer information about water, power, and infrastructure impacts. The meeting followed a utilities disclosure that many residents cited as the reason for urgent answers.

AES Ohio’s February 3 disclosure to PJM reported a total data-center load request of up to 1,300 megawatts at the Stuart Substation, with phased energization beginning in 2028. That level of load is described as “consistent with hyperscale data center development and would require regional transmission upgrades,” a characterization officials and residents flagged as having broad regional implications for the county’s electric grid.

Residents at the March 2 meeting raised detailed questions about water sourcing, aquifer protection, discharge standards, and the limits of current water treatment capacity. “Several speakers said they want any industrial operator to use on-site treatment for cooling water, with defined chemical limits and thermal standards before discharge to municipal systems or the Ohio River,” community members told commissioners during the packed meeting.

Speakers also pressed county officials on financial responsibility for upgrades. “They also asked the county to commit to requiring developers to pay for any necessary upgrades to water or wastewater systems,” attendees said, underscoring concern that taxpayers could otherwise bear the cost of new infrastructure.

County staff and commissioners emphasized that many technical specifics fall to specialist agencies and utilities. No names of developers emerged; “No developer has presented a formal proposal, site plan, or request for a tax abatement” to the county, according to the record reviewed at the meeting. Commissioners said they intend to convene outside experts if and when a formal proposal arrives, noting that “technical agencies would need to speak to many of these specifics and said they intend to invite electric utilities, water system representatives, and state regulatory officials to public sessions if a proposal materializes.”

Community pressure has extended beyond the courthouse meeting room. Community members gathered on the courthouse square in West Union on February 28, 2026, holding signs during a protest expressing concerns about potential data center development in Adams County. (Photo by Danielle Nichole Kinhalt, Taylor Dryden & Taryn Penrose)

With AES Ohio’s 1,300 megawatt disclosure and phased energization beginning in 2028 on the record, Adams County faces a narrow window to translate residents’ technical questions into public briefings and documented demands before any formal developer filing arrives. County officials have signaled they will invite utilities and regulators to public sessions if a proposal materializes, but the timeline and scope of those sessions remain unresolved.