Council approves amendment to Clean Energy Columbus agreement as developers cite cost, permitting hurdles

Columbus City Council on Tuesday approved an amendment to the city’s municipal electric aggregation agreement intended to advance the Clean Energy Columbus program while responding to new obstacles developers said have made previously planned in‑state generation more costly and slower to bring online.

Frank Wilson, vice president of mass markets at AEP Energy, told council that construction inflation, supply‑chain and labor challenges, pending federal guidance on tax incentives and permitting delays have significantly increased the cost of the Emerson Creek wind farm — a project previously expected to supply a substantial portion of the aggregation’s in‑state renewable electricity. He said the developer now seeks a higher contract price for that project and that under current market conditions the project cannot support the earlier price structure.

Wilson said the amendment approved Tuesday will secure about one‑third of Emerson Creek’s production for the program while combining it with other solar projects that have gone or will come online. He told council the revised structure aims to keep costs competitive for participating residents while still adding in‑state renewable generation to the portfolio.

Spencer Dierig of the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund urged the council to hold regular public hearings on aggregation progress, consider complementary investments to reduce demand (such as energy efficiency and community solar), and run transparent RFPs in future procurement cycles so the city can compare approaches from other aggregators.

Deputy and senior department staff told council the administration and AEP Energy are continuing to search daily for additional Ohio‑sited renewable assets and will pursue opportunities to layer in more small‑scale Ohio generation where feasible. Councilmember Weiss, who sponsored the ordinance, said the change was the result of “headwinds” in the renewable industry and that the city must be creative while safeguarding affordability for program participants.

The council vote came after several councilmembers and outside stakeholders spoke; the roll call recorded the measure as passed. Council and stakeholder speakers said they expect continued quarterly reporting to the council committee to monitor the program’s cost and in‑state generation share.

The amendment does not change the aggregation’s opt‑out structure — eligible residents are automatically included but may opt out — and preserves the program’s present consumer protections and enrollment terms. Council instructed the administration to return to the public utilities committee for future updates and to explore additional in‑state projects where possible.