NEWS: Manufacturers say AEP Ohio still inflating data center demand after halving forecast

Manufacturers are accusing AEP Ohio of using "paper demand"—not guaranteed demand—to inflate grid costs. (Utility Dive)

  • Though AEP Ohio recently cut its large load forecast from 30 GW to 13 GW with a new data center tariff, the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) claims the utility is still inflating the numbers by at least 3.3 GW to drive up capacity payments.

  • OMA argues AEP's new tariff uses an aggressive 85% minimum demand ratchet that treats speculative interconnection requests as guaranteed load—diverging from PJM’s stricter forecasting methodology.

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