Ohio EPA Weighs Air Permit for 1,300-Megawatt Plant

Residents voiced concerns at a public hearing on an air permit for a power plant that would supply Vantage Data Centers' Millersport campus.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Utilities

Isometric editorial illustration of a cooling tower and tall stack rising from flat farmland under overcast light, evoking a power plant tied to data center demand. — Ohio regulators are weighing an air permit for the 1,300-megawatt Fairfield Energy Center, which would power four Vantage Data Centers facilities in Millersport. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency held a public hearing Tuesday night on an air permit for the Fairfield Energy Center, a 1,300-megawatt power plant. The plant would provide power to four neighboring Vantage Data Centers facilities in Millersport, where construction has already begun.

Why it matters

The plant is needed to supply power to the Vantage Data Centers facilities, and the air permit determines the pollution limits the plant must meet. Residents' requirements voiced at the hearing will be considered as the permit process moves forward.

The Fairfield Energy Center's permit application projects 7,232,826 tons of greenhouse gas and more than 2,000 tons of pollutants annually from its 1,300-megawatt capacity. The final permit terms and the verification of projected economic figures remain unresolved pending the Ohio EPA's review.

The players

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

The Ohio EPA is the state agency responsible for regulating air quality and issuing environmental permits for industrial facilities across Ohio.

Vantage Data Centers

Vantage Data Centers is a major developer and operator of large-scale data center campuses that serve cloud and technology customers.

Fairfield Energy Center

The Fairfield Energy Center is a proposed 1,300-megawatt power plant designed to supply electricity to the Vantage Data Centers campus in Millersport.

The details

At Tuesday's public hearing in Buckeye Lake, residents voiced requirements they want included in the air permit before it is finalized. Public comments on the permit may be submitted to the Ohio EPA until Nov. 12.

Tuesday, November 10, 2026: Ohio EPA holds public hearing on the power plant air permit.
Nov. 12, 2026: Deadline for public comments to the Ohio EPA on the air permit.

Market Landscape

Dedicated power plants built to serve data center clusters have become a recurring feature of the current data center buildout, and the Fairfield Energy Center follows that pattern in Ohio. The permit process now determines how quickly such capacity can be brought online relative to competing projects.

Residents near Millersport and Buckeye Lake can submit comments on the air permit through Nov. 12, shaping the pollution limits the plant must meet. The project's projected 20 full-time jobs and $157 million in property taxes would affect local budgets and employment if approved.

The takeaway

Public comment periods on permits like this one are the main point where residents can influence pollution limits before a facility is built. Following the Ohio EPA's notices is the practical way to track the Fairfield Energy Center's next steps.

What happens next

Public comments on the air permit are due to the Ohio EPA by Nov. 12, 2026, after which the agency will review submissions before any final permit decision.