Data centers in Wood County, Ohio: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Wood County's data center went from an economic development win to a local grievance in about two years. In September 2023 a company called Liames LLC, the project known to officials as "Project Accordion", asked the county commissioners for a tax break on a data center along Ohio 582 in Middleton Township, north of Bowling Green. Only one resident came to object: Russ Fought, whose home sits just west of the site. He argued the developer already had what it needed (land, water, power) and didn't need an abatement. The commissioners granted a 75 percent, 15-year abatement anyway, after the Eastwood and Otsego school districts agreed deals for their share, about $1 million a year each by the county's estimate. In 2024 Meta was revealed as the company, and the project became an $800 million, 280-acre campus due to open in 2027 with about 100 workers.

The county's attention turned when the power arrived. Will-Power OH LLC is building the Apollo Power Generation Facility on 147 acres next door: 350MW of gas turbines and engines plus about 120MW of batteries, serving only the data center and not connected to the grid. The Ohio Power Siting Board approved it on February 3, 2026 through an expedited letter-of-notification process, with no public hearing. Fourteen people had filed comments against it. "We give up!" one wrote. It will be a major air-emissions source under Ohio EPA rules, and construction began around February 9, with partial operation expected by mid-2027. Meta had earlier said it would need up to 180MW on peak days, almost double what Bowling Green uses in summer, and up to 600,000 gallons of water a day from the Northwestern Water and Sewer District. In a January 2026 letter Meta put its operational water use at less than two full-service restaurants a year; BG Independent News noted that figure was not corroborated.

By January 2026 about 150 residents packed a county planning commission meeting to demand transparency and a stop to more data centers. Officials explained that Ohio law gives counties no power to impose a land-use moratorium. "There was no 'anti data center' movement," said county economic development director Wade Gottschalk; "It wasn't there in 2023 at all." Commissioner Craig LaHote acknowledged the project may not have hinged on the tax break. The townships moved instead. By March 13, 2026 seven of Wood County's 19 townships (Freedom, Henry, Lake, Liberty, Plain, Portage and Weston) had adopted temporary moratoriums, and seven more were considering them. Troy and Webster townships have zoning that excludes data centers, while Montgomery and Jackson have no zoning at all. "We're farm oriented," said Liberty Township trustee Rod Lucas. "We just don't have the infrastructure."

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.