• CPV proposal is latest of several large natural gas-fired generation projects being pursued in Ohio
• SB Energy said data center and power plant construction are set to begin this year at the 9.2 GW project with SoftBank on federal land
• No approvals for the SB project have yet been filed with the Ohio Power Siting Board, where there is consensus that state authority applies, an official said

Competitive Power Ventures has begun the approval process for a new 1,450 MW combined-cycle natural gas plant in Jeffersonville, Ohio, the latest in a string of gas-fired generation projects tied to surging demand across the state.

CPV told the Ohio Power Siting Board in a pre-application filing that it plans to seek a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the CPV Walker Energy Center in Jefferson Township, Fayette County, with a formal application expected around July 2026.

The company said the plant would connect to the PJM grid through the AES 345-kV transmission system, with construction targeted to begin in the second quarter of 2028 and completion in the fourth quarter of 2031.

CPV describes Walker as a two-train 1×1 combined-cycle facility on about 150 acres. The company is also pitching the plant as a potential lower-carbon option, saying it is being designed with the option to incorporate carbon capture technology capable of capturing up to 95% of the facility’s carbon emissions if installed and operational.

Meanwhile, in southern Ohio, SB Energy is advancing an even larger development on federal land at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site.

SB Energy co-CEO Rich Hossfield said in a video released by the Department of Energy that the first phases are already under way, with civil works ongoing at the site. He said the company plans to “go vertical on the first data center this summer” and begin construction on the first power plants this year, with commissioning expected over the next several years.

He said SB Energy has already reserved turbine delivery slots and is coordinating with utility AEP Ohio on grid upgrades so power can come online just ahead of each new data center building.

While the project is being developed on federal land, there is consensus at the Ohio Power Siting Board that state authority still applies to the project, according to Matt Butler, public information officer at the OPSB.

SB Energy Is coordinating with the OPSB for the gas and transmission, said a company spokesperson, adding that the company will start construction on the first phase of the PORTS Technology Campus later this year.

Another Ohio gas project is being pursued by PowerConneX, an EdgeConneX subsidiary, which has filed plans for an 800 MW natural gas-fired energy center in Ashville, Pickaway County, designed to supply a co-located data center.

The Ashville plant could begin construction as early as the third quarter of 2026 and would follow the same behind-the-meter model as two previously approved PowerConneX gas plants in New Albany, sized at about 120 MW and 216 MW.