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Two contractor selections have moved Centrus Energy’s Piketon enrichment expansion from broad project language into a more visible construction chain. On February 11, 2026, Centrus announced Fluor as its engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for the expansion. On April 20, 2026, the company said it selected Geiger Brothers for on-the-ground construction. Together, the announcements give regional suppliers, trades, workforce partners, and service firms somethin

A fuel supply agreement can decide whether an advanced reactor project stays on paper or moves closer to construction. On June 18, 2026, Oklo and Centrus Energy announced a letter of intent tied to high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, for Oklo’s planned Aurora powerhouses in southern Ohio. The contemplated fuel supply would support multiple years of reactor cores for up to five Aurora powerhouses within Oklo’s planned 1.2 GW campus, according to Centrus. The companies h

A new Department of Energy NEPA record gives the first clear public acreage marker for the planned AI and cloud campus at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Pike County, Ohio. The DOE categorical-exclusion page, dated April 29, 2026, describes approximately 189 acres leased by Pike County Portsmouth DC LLC. The record identifies the tract as Batch 1 of a phased AI and cloud campus lease at the Portsmouth site, often referred to as PORTS. That makes the filing usef

AEP’s proposed 765 kV connection between Hanging Rock in Lawrence County and Baku in Pike County is still in the route study and public-feedback stage. The company’s published materials describe a concept, not a final route, and the map released for public review shows alternative study segments rather than a selected alignment. The proposal matters across southern Ohio because it could add, rebuild, or relocate high-voltage transmission facilities across parts of Lawrence, S

Southern Ohio has a rare opportunity to turn a major regional asset into lasting value for local businesses, workers, families, and communities. That opportunity is tied to PORTS, but its full impact depends on something bigger than any single site or project: strong coordination across the region. ASCEND, the Alliance for Strategic Capital, Economic Networks & Development, was created to help make that connection. Its message is simple and powerful: One Region. One Business

A proposed natural gas-fired energy center near the Portsmouth Site has entered the local siting conversation, with a stated capacity of up to 2 gigawatts and a construction start target in early 2027. Portsmouth Gas DevCo has described the PORTS Energy Center as a phased power generation project that would include simple-cycle and combined-cycle natural gas facilities, along with related electrical infrastructure. The company’s public notice says the first construction phase

The proposed Ohio AI campus now has a clearer public map of who is doing what. SB Energy, OpenAI and NVIDIA have each published accounts of the project that separate the main roles across site operations, customer demand and compute infrastructure. That matters because large AI campuses can involve many overlapping contracts, suppliers, land decisions, power arrangements, community questions and long-term technology plans. Without clear role labels, inquiries can land with th

A proposed AI campus at the Portsmouth Site could become one of the largest business development stories in southern Ohio and the surrounding region. The headline is big: a proposed 10 GW data center development tied to major power and transmission investment. The practical question is smaller and more immediate: which local companies should pay attention, and when? The answer is not “everyone, right now.” The better answer is more specific. Civil contractors, construction lo

The U.S. Department of Energy reported a new demolition milestone at the Portsmouth Site on September 22, 2026: crews removed a 66,000-square-foot section from the southwest corner of the X-333 Process Building. The milestone matters for more than its size. DOE said the cleared area created staging space for large process gas valves that crews will handle during later phases of demolition. That makes this step both a visible piece of cleanup progress and a practical move that

A project workforce needs more than a jobsite. It needs places to live, rental options with clear terms, and land or buildings that can support operations close enough to keep daily travel practical. Kiewit has opened a public intake channel for real estate leads tied to the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus near Piketon, Ohio. The intake asks for information about single-family homes, multifamily housing, short- and long-term rentals, and other property that could support workfor

AEP Ohio Transmission Company has placed a proposed 765 kV transmission route into Ohio’s public siting record, giving landowners, agencies, contractors, and local officials a clearer view of where the Baku-Gavin line could be built. The company’s certificate application describes about 51 miles of new 765 kV transmission line between the proposed Baku substation in Pike County and the existing Gavin substation in Gallia County. The preferred route listed in the filing is 51.

Some of the best stories in Southern Ohio do not come from headlines. They come from shop counters, classrooms, front porches, ball fields, church basements, and community events where people are building something that matters. The ASCEND Podcast is launching to share those stories, one conversation at a time. Southern Ohio has stories worth hearing. A podcast built around local voices ASCEND is about the people shaping the region in real, everyday ways. That includes the bu

Southern Ohio is standing at the edge of a major opportunity. New investment, industrial growth, and long-term development connected to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site, known as PORTS, are creating momentum that can reach far beyond one location. The question is how the region turns that momentum into lasting value. ASCEND, the Alliance for Strategic Capital, Economic Networks & Development, was launched to help answer that question. It is a business-led regio