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Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno asks Intel to reassign some electricity to Meta
By: Sarah Donaldson | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) sent Intel’s chief executive a letter Friday making several asks of the tech designer and manufacturer, including that it divert some of its local energy, likely to construction of a data center by another Big Tech giant.
“State and local officials moved mountains to assist your company in achieving the company proclaimed original timeline,” Moreno wrote in the letter. “Unfortunately, for the state of Ohio and the local community in Licking County, your company announced in July that Intel was going to further delay the pace of the project.”
Moreno added that he believes Intel has not been using its excess power efficiently, and that it should reassign 200 milliwatts to Meta, which according to NBC4 is building out its data center facilities extensively in New Albany. A spokesperson for Meta did not immediately answer a request for comment.
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chair Jenifer French said this is why utilities like American Electric Power have sought more buy-in from high-demand consumers, mostly through a tariff, a case being heard by the PUCO.
“AEP said, Hey, we’re not sure what is real and what is not,” French said Monday.
Although the focus there is on data centers, AEP built an electric substation just for Intel, an investment of more than $95 million, according to the PUCO.
When Intel broke ground in Licking County less than three years ago, it said it could be online by 2025, but that aggressive plan for its eventual central Ohio plants has pushed later and later since.
The computer chipmaker announced the newest timeline adjustment earlier this year, punting the date to finish one fabrication plant to 2030 and the second “fab” to 2031. Neither will come online until at least 2031.
It has gotten federal and state grants for its under-construction Ohio project, among others across the country. Earlier this year, Trump suggested Congress roll back the CHIPS and Science Act, of which Intel was one of the biggest benefactors.
That money will now come in a 10% equity stake in Intel.