By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Norwich Township Fire Chief David Baird stated he has been unable to obtain or help develop emergency response plans for a 73-megawatt fuel cell power plant being constructed by American Electric Power near an Amazon data center in the Hilliard area outside Columbus, with the company citing trade secrets.
- American Electric Power and Bloom Energy are building a facility with 228 natural gas-powered fuel cells at a site adjacent to the Darby Glen neighborhood and Hilliard Beacon Elementary School, with the project approved by the Ohio Power Siting Board under House Bill 15 passed last year.
- House Bill 15 transferred approval authority for energy projects exceeding 50 megawatts from local governments to the state Ohio Power Siting Board, effectively removing local fire and emergency officials from the planning process despite their responsibility for emergency response.
- In March, local officials from Norwich, Hilliard, and Columbus sent a letter to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency requesting that firefighters receive facility information, safety procedures, and technological details; AEP responded that company representatives allowed local officials 20 minutes to review physical copies of plans before collecting the documents.
- State Senator Kent Smith said that emergency planning experts typically seek professional input before major decisions and that fire chiefs are requesting a legislative update to require energy companies to share detailed safety plans with local first responders.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Norwich Township Fire Chief David Baird said his department has been unable to obtain detailed emergency response and facility plans for a fuel cell power plant under construction near Hilliard, with American Electric Power citing trade secrets and citing state law as the reason for withholding the information.
The facility, being built by AEP and Bloom Energy adjacent to the Darby Glen neighborhood and Hilliard Beacon Elementary School, will operate 228 natural gas-powered fuel cells generating 73 megawatts of electricity. The project is designed to supply power to an Amazon data center approved by Hilliard in 2022. AEP and Amazon teamed to develop the project in 2025.
Baird said firefighters normally collaborate with developers on safety planning, including hydrant placement, access gates, and emergency shut-off procedures. However, AEP has largely excluded local officials from planning discussions, citing confidential business information protections.
The company’s decision to withhold plans stems from House Bill 15, bipartisan legislation passed last year that transferred approval authority for energy projects exceeding 50 megawatts from local governments to the Ohio Power Siting Board. AEP withdrew its application for local zoning approval in October after the project received state approval in September, stating no further local review was necessary.
In March, local officials from Norwich, Hilliard, and Columbus submitted a letter to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency requesting that firefighters receive facility maps, technological information, and emergency procedures. AEP responded that the company remains committed to safety but noted that regulatory permits do not require the sharing of planning documents with local agencies.
Township Trustee Brian Rothenberg said an AEP employee attended one meeting with physical copies of facility plans and permitted local officials 20 minutes to review documents before reclaiming them, with instructions that the plans contained proprietary information and could not be copied or distributed.
Baird said firefighters require information about emergency shut-off procedures for medical and non-fire emergencies, not just fire response. He expressed concern that the facility’s fuel cell technology, which requires removal of the sulfur-based odorant used in natural gas, has been tested at large scale only in South Korea.
Local officials also requested real-time air quality monitoring around the facility. AEP said existing permits do not require such monitoring and declined additional meetings on the topic. The company stated that third-party studies found no noxious emissions and that fuel cell fires are rare.
Baird and Rothenberg have requested that state lawmakers amend HB 15 to require major energy facility developers to share detailed plans with local fire departments and emergency responders while maintaining trade secret protections through confidentiality agreements that prevent public distribution of documents.
The rapid expansion of such projects reflects growing electricity demand from data centers supporting artificial intelligence. Before HB 15, Ohio had one behind-the-meter power plant serving Ohio State University. Since passage, developers have proposed or gained approval for approximately 2,000 megawatts of capacity.
Proponents including Buckeye Institute President Rea Hederman argue HB 15 positions Ohio as a leader in energy policy and will generate billions in investment and job creation. However, local officials expressed concern that Ohio’s accelerated approval process may compromise public safety planning.
State Senator Kent Smith of Euclid, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee, called the request for first responder access “more than reasonable.” Smith noted that emergency planning experts are trained to seek specialized input before major decisions, and ignoring expert guidance is a common precursor to disasters. Lawmakers are currently on summer break and are not expected to pass new legislation until after the November election.