Ohio's next manufacturing boom may depend on something beyond land, labor and investment: the power to run the factories themselves. As electricity demand grows and grid infrastructure struggles to keep pace, communities face a critical question: Can Ohio continue attracting major industrial investment without putting unnecessary pressure on the power system that serves its residents and businesses?
The answer depends, in part, on how new facilities get their electricity. When manufacturers bring dedicated generation alongside their operations, they have another way to secure the power they need without relying exclusively on an increasingly constrained regional grid.
Recent developments across the PJM region make this question more urgent.
The warning signs are already here
On October 9, 2026, PJM, the regional grid operator serving Ohio and 12 other states, issued a Capacity Advisory for October 12–13. It was the first use of a new procedure adopted earlier in the year to provide advance notice when projected electricity supply approaches the level needed to meet demand.
Within days, PJM extended the advisory through October 14, issued additional operating alerts, recalled active generation maintenance outages and called on demand response. On October 13 and 14, PJM initiated Pre-Emergency Load Management Actions to help reliably serve peak demand periods, including the evening period when solar generation falls away. These actions called on participating businesses to reduce electricity usage during critical hours.
The U.S. Department of Energy also issued an emergency order effective October 13–16, authorizing PJM to take additional measures to maintain reliability, including directing certain large electricity users to operate backup generation if necessary.
- 62,000 MW
- Generation outages during the affected period
- 112,000 MW
- PJM demand forecast, October 13
- 13,000 MW
- Data center demand in AEP Ohio's load studies
- Q4 2031
- Anticipated in-service date of the needed transmission project
The conditions were notable for their timing. PJM expected approximately 62,000 megawatts of generation outages during the affected period, while its October 13 demand forecast reached about 112,000 megawatts. The situation developed during unusually warm fall weather, while generation and transmission equipment was undergoing planned maintenance and construction.
A capacity advisory does not mean widespread outages are imminent. It is an early warning that allows grid operators to coordinate resources and respond to tightening conditions.
But the broader trend matters. PJM's senior vice president of system operations, Mike Bryson, described the changing conditions plainly:
“This is the new reality that grid operators are facing…”Mike Bryson, Senior Vice President, System Operations, PJM
For Ohio's manufacturers, that creates a practical challenge: securing the electricity a facility needs may require more time, infrastructure and planning than it once did.
More manufacturing means more power
Ohio's industrial economy depends on reliable infrastructure. A manufacturer evaluating a new location needs to know not only whether a site is available, but also whether the electricity supply will be ready when the facility is ready to operate.
In November 2025, AEP Ohio reported that transmission upgrades would be needed to serve the 36 data center projects included in its completed load studies, representing about 13,000 megawatts of proposed demand. AEP found that none of this studied demand could be reliably served until a specified regional transmission project—or a comparable solution selected by PJM—was completed, with the project anticipated to be in service around the fourth quarter of 2031.
Those findings concern the data center projects included in AEP Ohio's study, not every proposed manufacturing facility. But they illustrate the infrastructure challenge when large new electricity users seek service in the same region.
A new industrial facility connected to the grid adds to the electricity demand utilities and regional operators must plan to serve. Meeting that demand can require new generation, transmission improvements and local infrastructure investments.
The issue extends beyond construction timelines. PJM's capacity market helps secure resources needed to meet future electricity demand. Capacity costs are allocated through market mechanisms to load-serving entities and ultimately can affect electricity customers, including households and businesses.
When large new facilities depend on the same regional system, their power requirements become part of the broader challenge of meeting demand and maintaining reliability.
The question is not whether Ohio should welcome manufacturing growth. It is how to power that growth responsibly.
The alternative: bring power to the project
Smartland Energy develops dedicated power generation designed to serve industrial facilities directly.
Rather than relying exclusively on electricity supplied through the regional grid, a facility can be paired with generation developed around its energy requirements. Depending on the project, that may include combined-cycle natural gas generation, modular reciprocating engines and renewable resources.
The principle is straightforward: plan the power supply alongside the industrial facility instead of treating it as a separate problem to solve later.
This approach can offer three important advantages.
Reduce dependence on the regional grid.
When a facility generates a substantial portion of its own electricity, it needs to draw less from the regional system. That can reduce its dependence on available grid capacity and help address constraints that might otherwise affect its development timeline.
Align power infrastructure with industrial development.
Dedicated generation gives developers another option when conventional grid service depends on extensive infrastructure upgrades. Generation, fuel supply, permitting and construction can be planned around the facility's needs, helping bring power planning into the development process from the beginning.
Help manage pressure on shared resources.
A facility supplied by dedicated generation can reduce the amount of electricity it needs to purchase from the regional grid. That can limit its contribution to grid-supplied demand and reduce its exposure to regional capacity constraints.
For Smartland, power generation is not an afterthought to industrial development. It is infrastructure planned around the facility's needs.
Smartland's integrated development and ownership model brings together power generation, fuel supply, permitting, land and construction planning. Its initial generation capacity is targeted for the third quarter of 2028.
What this means for residents
When a major industrial facility comes to a community, the benefits can be substantial: jobs, paychecks, business activity and additional tax revenue. But the infrastructure needed to support that growth deserves equal attention.
Residents have a legitimate interest in understanding how a new facility will be powered and who will pay for the infrastructure required to serve it.
- Electricity costs.
- A facility that supplies much of its own power adds less demand to the regional market that helps determine capacity costs. How a facility is powered, what infrastructure it requires and how project costs are allocated all matter to the broader electricity system.
- Reliability.
- PJM's October actions demonstrate why power planning matters even outside the peak summer season. Available generation, advance planning and coordinated grid operations all contribute to maintaining reliability.
- The long-term value of growth.
- Communities can pursue industrial investment while asking developers to address power supply and infrastructure requirements from the outset. A project with a clear power strategy gives local leaders a stronger basis for evaluating its costs, timeline and potential benefits.
Residents do not have to choose between economic growth and responsible energy planning. They can ask whether proposed developments have a credible strategy for securing the power they need.
Three questions every community should ask
Before committing to a major industrial development, local officials and residents should ask:
- Where will the facility get its power? Will it rely on the regional grid, dedicated generation or a combination of the two?
- Who pays for the infrastructure? What costs will the developer fund, and how will any remaining costs be allocated?
- Will the power be ready when the facility opens? What generation, transmission, permitting and construction milestones determine the timeline?
These questions help communities evaluate projects based on more than the promise of investment. They make power planning part of the economic development conversation from the beginning.
Ohio's manufacturing future depends on how we power it
Ohio has an opportunity to continue attracting manufacturers and building a stronger industrial economy. Realizing that opportunity will require more than available land, a skilled workforce and competitive incentives. It will require a credible plan for supplying the electricity modern industry needs.
The October developments across PJM are a reminder that power availability cannot be taken for granted. As demand grows, manufacturers and communities need to consider not only how much electricity a project will require, but where that power will come from and what infrastructure will be needed to deliver it.
Dedicated generation offers one approach: pairing industrial development with power infrastructure designed to serve its needs.
The next generation of manufacturing investment should be planned with power built into the project—not left as a problem for the future.
Smartland Energy is developing dedicated generation infrastructure to help make that possible.
Sources
- PJM Capacity Advisory Issued for Oct. 12–13, October 9, 2026.
- PJM Extends Capacity Advisory to Oct. 14, October 12, 2026.
- PJM Operations Update: Extends Maximum Generation Alert, Calls on Demand Response, October 13, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Energy: Federal Power Act Section 202(c) Order for PJM.
- AEP Ohio: Data Center Load Study Results, November 7, 2025.
Disclaimer
Smartland Energy's initial generation capacity is targeted for the third quarter of 2028. Timelines depend on permitting, equipment availability, financing and other project requirements. This article is for general informational purposes and does not guarantee project timelines, electricity prices, grid independence or uninterrupted service.
This article is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security. Any securities offering is made only to verified accredited investors under Rule 506(c).