COLUMBUS, Ohio — A bill advancing in the Ohio Senate would impose new statewide energy policy standards that, by definition, would make it extremely difficult for most wind and solar projects to win approval in Ohio.

Senate Bill 294, introduced Oct. 15 and assigned to the Senate Energy Committee, would require the Ohio Power Siting Board to ensure that electric generating facilities seeking permits use “affordable, reliable, and clean” energy sources and prioritize domestic production while minimizing reliance on materials from nations defined as foreign adversaries.

The proposal applies to major utility facilities — power plants capable of producing 50 megawatts or more — as well as economically significant wind farms.

The bill’s practical impact hinges on its definition of “reliable energy source.”

Under the legislation, a qualifying energy source must be “readily available at all times,” experience minimal interruptions during high-demand periods, demonstrate a minimum 50% capacity factor, be dispatchable at all times, and have the ability to ramp electricity generation up or down within one hour to stabilize the grid.

Most land-based wind and solar facilities operate below a 50% capacity factor and are weather-dependent, meaning they are not dispatchable on demand without paired storage or backup generation.

As written, those requirements would disqualify most standalone wind and solar projects from meeting the bill’s reliability threshold.

The bill defines “clean energy source” broadly to include renewable energy, nuclear reaction, biomass, hydrocarbons that meet federal air standards, and natural gas. However, projects must also meet the affordability and reliability standards in order to satisfy the overall policy requirement.

The measure defines “affordable energy source” as one with stable and predictable costs that delivers substantial savings comparable to renewable energy sources. At the same time, it explicitly excludes Generation III and later nuclear technologies from the definition of affordable energy.

Because the bill directs the Power Siting Board to apply these policy standards “in all cases” involving certificate applications, the board would be required to evaluate projects against the 50% capacity factor and dispatchability benchmark.

The bill does not create an exception for renewable facilities, nor does it provide alternative compliance mechanisms for intermittent generation such as storage pairing.

If enacted as written, the legislation would significantly narrow the types of new electric generation likely to qualify for siting approval in Ohio, effectively favoring continuously dispatchable resources such as natural gas and certain fossil-fuel facilities that meet federal air standards.

The bill is sponsored by Sens. George Lang, Mark Romanchuk, Andrew Brenner, and Bill Reineke, all Republicans.

It remains in the Senate Energy Committee and has not yet advanced to a floor vote.

If approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor, the policy would apply to future Power Siting Board applications statewide.