Ohio’s economy is undergoing a dramatic and positive transformation.

Thanks to forward-thinking leadership from officials in both Columbus and Washington, the Buckeye State has become an increasingly attractive destination for tech companies fleeing California’s sky-high taxes and heavy-handed regulations.

The latest example came in Congress. Responding to President Trump’s call for a nuclear resurgence, the Ohio delegation helped lead the charge to pass his “big, beautiful bill.” The legislation includes preserving the nuclear production tax credit (PTC), a provision vital to the health of Ohio’s energy future and economy.

Supporting the nuclear PTC isn’t about playing favorites–it’s about creating a level playing field, stabilizing the grid, while recognizing nuclear’s role in powering Ohio’s economic and technological ambitions. While other energy sources benefit from subsidies and mandates, nuclear’s contributions to our economic growth have too often gone underappreciated.

In recent months, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have announced plans to build major data centers in Ohio. These developments may signal the beginning of a broader trend, especially as leading gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy pledges to turn the Ohio River Valley into the next Silicon Valley. His campaign builds on Ohio’s successful record of promoting tech growth through investments in early-stage companies, innovation hubs, and workforce training focused on high-demand digital skills.

But this economic evolution depends on one critical factor: expanding Ohio’s energy capacity.

With demand from data centers and advanced manufacturing surging, Ohio is projected to require as much electricity as New York City in the coming years. There is growing concern that demand may outpace supply. Without a reliable energy backbone, the state risks power shortages, rising costs, and stalled job creation.

Ohio has already experienced the consequences of losing baseload power. When FirstEnergy shut down the 1,200-megawatt Eastlake coal plant in 2015, grid stability in Northeast Ohio suffered. The Perry nuclear plant helped absorb the shock, underscoring its irreplaceable role in grid resilience.

Yet today, Ohio’s nuclear fleet faces an uncertain future. Current electricity markets reward only the cheapest short-term megawatt-hours, ignoring the long-term value of reliability and stability. That’s why Congress created the production tax credit–to ensure that grid security and economic strength are not overlooked.

Tech leaders understand this. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all signed agreements that require stable, reliable power, requiring nuclear energy in their mix of renewable energy, coal and natural gas. They recognize that their innovations can’t thrive without reliable, uninterrupted electricity.

The benefits go far beyond powering servers. Ohio’s nuclear industry is also a catalyst for research, job creation, and industrial innovation. Universities such as Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati have launched nuclear engineering and energy programs to train the next generation of talent. Precision manufacturers from Youngstown to Dayton are producing components for nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, the University of Toledo–partnering with the Idaho National Laboratory–is pioneering the use of nuclear reactors to produce clean hydrogen, unlocking new economic and environmental opportunities.

Ohio is on the cusp of becoming the Silicon Heartland. But history shows that when nuclear plants go offline, the economic fallout is swift and severe. Rolling brownouts are not an option for Bob and Betty Buckeye.

That’s why it’s so important that Ohio’s congressional delegation chose to preserve the nuclear production tax credit. Without reliable energy, there can be no Silicon Heartland, no tech boom, and no future for America’s industrial revival.

Jonathan Dever is a lawyer and former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, where he served as Chairman of the Financial Institutions Committee and as a member of the Public Utilities Committee.