The Ohio State University’s Integrated Energy Transformation

The Challenge

Upgrade aging energy infrastructure while accelerating sustainability performance across a large, complex campus

Project Overview

The Ohio State University partnered with Ohio State Energy Partners (OSEP) – a public-private partnership including OPTERRA Energy Services and Axium Infrastructure – to modernize and operate its campus-wide energy system through an innovative 50-year integrated solutions agreement. Covering the university’s flagship Columbus campus, the partnership supports long-term infrastructure upgrades, operational reliability, and sustainability goals while funding academic, research, and community initiatives aligned with Ohio State’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050.

Aerial view of The Ohio State University’s Columbus campus, highlighting green spaces, academic buildings, and pathways supported by long-term energy and sustainability infrastructure investments.

Key Benefits

Energy

• 12% improvement in campus energy efficiency achieved within the first four years of the partnership.
• Key performance indicators met or exceeded across electricity, natural gas, steam, and water utilities.
• Reliability commitments of up to 99.996% for electricity and 99.9% for steam through performance guarantees.

Savings

• $105 million committed to support academic, research, and community interests at Ohio State University.
• More than $190 million approved for energy efficiency measures across campus facilities.
• Long-term cost predictability through an integrated operating and utility fee structure.

Community

• 18 new and 22 existing energy capital improvement projects advanced in a single year.
• Development of the Energy Advancement and Innovation Center to support collaboration among students, faculty, researchers, and industry.
• Selection by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of 10 national sites to pilot community-scale energy optimization initiatives.

Energy Assessment and Strategy

Under the OSEP agreement, OPTERRA collaborates closely with Ohio State to evaluate system performance, energy usage, and infrastructure needs across the 485-building Columbus campus. The strategy emphasizes data-driven decision-making through smart metering, central analytics, and performance metrics to guide efficiency upgrades, decarbonization efforts, and long-term system planning, with a commitment to achieving at least a 25% improvement in energy efficiency within the first 10 years.

Implementation and Funding

The program is delivered through a long-term, integrated operations model in which OPTERRA operates Ohio State’s energy systems under a 50-year lease while implementing capital improvements and conservation measures. The partnership includes an upfront payment to the university, ongoing operational and fixed fees, and performance-based investments that fund infrastructure upgrades, new facilities, including a combined heat and power plant and district energy network, and continuous system modernization without disrupting campus operations.