After the passage of Ohio House Bill 15, which was championed by The Buckeye Institute, Ohio has seen more than $4 billion in private investment for energy projects. Six projects that will generate nearly 2,000 megawatts of energy have either been approved by the Ohio Power Siting Board or are currently under review.
“House Bill 15 made Ohio a national leader in smart, free-market energy policy, and we are already seeing tangible results from these Buckeye Institute-championed policies with more than $4 billion in investment,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute.
Major projects moving forward after the bill’s enactment include the Socrates South project (200 MW) and Socrates North project (200 MW) in Licking County, each representing $750 million investments and both approved by state regulators. The Bluegrass Power project in Fayette County aims to deliver 800 MW with an estimated $2.5 billion investment and is pending approval. Additional projects such as PowerConneX I (120 MW), PowerConneX II (216 MW) in Licking County, and Apollo Power Generation (350 MW) in Wood County are also progressing through regulatory processes.
These initiatives are expected to bring substantial investments to Ohio, supply additional energy to meet rising demand, create jobs for residents, support schools and community programs through generated revenue, and help grow the high-tech sector.
The Buckeye Institute is a non-partisan, nonprofit think tank established in 1989 that operates independently to provide research and education focused on public policy. It concentrates on issues affecting Ohio while promoting free-market principles nationally. The organization is classified as a nonprofit under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and relies on private funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations according to its official website. Its headquarters are located on Capitol Square in Columbus, Ohio.
The institute provides research, data analysis, legal advocacy, and policy recommendations to support policymakers advancing free-market ideas (source). Since its founding in 1989 as an independent entity dedicated to research and education (source), it has worked closely with policymakers through research-driven initiatives.
