What Powers Ohio's Grid — and What's Coming

Ohio generated about 142.7 terawatt-hours of utility-scale electricity in 2024. Based on U.S. Energy Information Administration data, approximately 59.6% came from natural gas, 21.1% from coal, 12.6% from nuclear power, 2.8% from utility-scale solar, 2.0% from wind, and about 1.9% from other sources.

Those figures describe Ohio's statewide in-state generation mix. They do not mean that every Ohio data center purchases electricity in those same proportions. Individual facilities may use grid power, dedicated generation, behind-the-meter resources, contractual clean-energy arrangements, or combinations of these.

The scale of future load is also changing. PJM's 2026 forecast-adjustment documentation shows AEP Ohio requested cumulative large-load additions of 7,615 MW by 2030. PJM says the AEP Ohio adjustment is largely driven by data centers. Forecast additions represent planning assumptions and are not guarantees that every proposed project will be built.

The combination of today's generation mix and rapid large-load growth raises questions about generation additions, transmission, reliability, cost allocation, and long-term planning.