Meta is building its own power plants. Not solar farms. Not wind turbines. Natural gas facilities, constructed behind the meter at its Ohio data center campuses, approved under laws that allow the whole thing to happen in as little as 45 days without a single public hearing.
Two projects are already moving forward. The Socrates South facility, a 200 MW plant in New Albany, received approval from the Ohio Power Siting Board on June 9, 2025. The larger Apollo facility, a 350 MW plant in Middleton Township, gained its own OPSB approval on February 3, 2026. Combined, that’s 550 MW of new gas-fired generation capacity dedicated entirely to feeding Meta’s AI infrastructure.
How Ohio cleared the runway
Ohio passed legislation around 2025 that created an expedited approval pathway for certain power plants. Under the new rules, projects can receive sign-off within 45 days, and public hearings aren’t required.
In the case of the Apollo facility, residents reportedly didn’t have access to draft air permits until after construction had already begun.
