Market Intelligence Brief — March 2026
What Is Happening in Southern Ohio?
On March 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a public-private partnership to redevelop the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant near Piketon, Ohio as the PORTS Technology Campus — a 10-gigawatt data center campus backed by SoftBank subsidiary SB Energy and utility partner AEP Ohio.
Separately, Google (through Tilted Gate LLC) has been identified behind a proposed $1 billion data center in Franklin Furnace, Scioto County. Together these projects signal a multi-node corridor emerging along State Route 32.
Jackson County updated its zoning code in March 2026 specifically for data center uses — a direct signal that corridor demand is already shaping land policy beyond the PORTS campus itself.
Key Facts at a Glance
- 10 GW target capacity at the PORTS Technology Campus (DOE announcement, March 20, 2026).
- $33.3 billion in Japanese-funded generation commitments tied to the U.S.-Japan strategic investment framework.
- $4.2 billion in AEP Ohio transmission infrastructure funded by SB Energy.
- 5,642 MW of binding data center load contracts (AEP Ohio February 2026 filing).
- $1 billion proposed Google-linked data center project in adjacent Scioto County.
- $40 million in pledged community investment for schools and medical infrastructure.
- 3,700 acres of federal land leased to an SB Energy affiliate.
- Corridor demand now spans Pike, Scioto, and Jackson counties along State Route 32.
Why This Announcement Is Different
Previous PORTS redevelopment proposals were largely political. This one includes a DOE land lease, a named utility partner with binding contracts, a bilateral sovereign trade framework between the U.S. and Japan, a public groundbreaking, and a named developer entity. The AEP Ohio filing alone shows 5,642 MW of signed load — more than many entire utility service territories.
What the Corridor Needs
A 10-gigawatt campus does not operate in isolation. It requires:
- Workforce housing — Jackson County issued only 33 building permits in all of 2024.
- Temporary lodging — Within 30 miles of Piketon there are roughly 200-300 hotel rooms. Construction phases alone could demand thousands of beds.
- Commercial services — Fuel, food, convenience, equipment rental, and contractor staging space.
- Support land — Parcels with highway frontage, utility access, and flexible zoning for the ecosystem around the campus.
This infrastructure gap is the investment opportunity.
The Loudoun County Precedent
Loudoun County, Virginia grew to 10 GW of data center capacity over roughly 25 years. The results:
Piketon is targeting the same scale on a compressed timeline. Southern Ohio does not yet have the housing, service, and hospitality inventory that buildout requires.
Source: Data Center Dynamics
Japan and Korea Investment Context
The PORTS announcement is explicitly tied to the U.S.-Japan strategic investment framework. Japan was the largest foreign direct investor in the United States in 2024, at $819.2 billion (JETRO). Ohio already has a mature Japan-linked investment ecosystem through JobsOhio.
Korean data center research emphasizes power bottlenecks in the Greater Seoul Area and the growing logic of placing power-intensive workloads where grid capacity is more available. JobsOhio maintains dedicated Korea-team contacts.