Socrates South / 200 MW BTM gas / Meta + Williams / Ohio OPSB

Plain-English framing. The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) is the state body that issues construction certificates for large generation and transmission projects in Ohio (similar role to a state public utility commission's siting arm). It is separate from PUCO, which sets retail electric tariffs. So a hyperscaler campus that needs BTM generation has to clear both bodies: OPSB to build the plant, PUCO if the campus also takes any grid supply. Meta's New Albany campus is the largest disclosed behind-the-meter gas commitment in the country: two 200 MW plants from Williams Companies (the pipeline major), 10-year supply agreement, total capital cost about $1.6 billion. The Socrates North plant was approved earlier; the June 9 approval is for Socrates South, the second 200 MW unit. Both plants sit on-site, dedicated to the data center, and bypass the grid for the bulk of the campus's load. The broader BTM picture: industry analysts now count roughly 101 GW of behind-the-meter gas capacity announced by hyperscalers nationally, 57 GW with disclosed equipment orders, ~7 GW already under construction, and ~2 GW currently operating across four sites. End-of-2026 forecast is 2.8-3.2 GW operating. The growth curve from 2 GW today to 7+ GW under construction is the leading indicator that BTM is the answer to the grid queue, not just a niche workaround.

Primary source · Data Center Dynamics / Ohio Power Siting Board ↗