oma v. puco -- aep ohio data center tariff challenge
published: February 22, 2026updated: August 24, 2026•
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case overview
| Case | Ohio Manufacturers’ Association v. PUCO |
| Court | Ohio Supreme Court |
| Filed | Late 2025 |
| Parties | OMA and industrial customers v. PUCO; AEP Ohio as intervenor |
| Status | Active |
background
oma challenges puco’s approval of a data center tariff requiring large new data center customers to pay for 85% of subscribed electricity regardless of consumption, for up to 12 years. oma argues:
- improper gamesmanship: aep paused data center interconnections (choking off supply), initially claiming 30,000 mw of demand (later revised to ~5,700 mw), giving aep “undue bargaining power”
- discrimination: singling out one industry for special rate treatment
- frozen projects: aep ohio imposed substantial barriers to new data center interconnections in columbus beginning 2023, pausing new service and freezing 50+ proposed projects
aep argues the tariff ensures data centers “pay their fair share” for grid infrastructure.
posture check (august 2026)
all parties completed ohio supreme court briefing by march 24, 2026. the case was still awaiting an oral-argument date as of the reporting consulted, and no ruling has issued. this is a posture refresh, not a change of outcome.
sources
- ohio capital journal: oma challenge
- ohio capital journal: aep response
- power magazine: aep ohio tariff approved
last updated: august 24, 2026 — docket posture last checked august 24, 2026