Gas plant developer bets big on CO2-free hydrogen

A wave of new natural gas-fired power plants is taking shape across Ohio, signaling an energy transition underway in the region as cheap, abundant shale gas undercuts the profitability of coal and nuclear energy.

One of these new plants, though, may not only represent the current state of Ohio's fossil fuel-heavy energy mix but be the vanguard of a green hydrogen future if developers can execute their ambitious vision.

That plant is the 485-megawatt Long Ridge Energy Terminal being built on a 1,600-acre site along the Ohio River that was once home to an aluminum smelter.