COLUMBUS, Ohio — The 136th General Assembly hasn’t yet begun, but already a major energy policy overhaul is in the works.

While the specifics remain elusive, several around Capitol Square say the current Senate President Matt Huffman, who will soon become the first to swing from that job straight into becoming House Speaker, and his successor-elect, Sen. Rob McColley, are in charge of negotiations. Together, they’re two of the three most powerful Republicans in state government.

Huffman late last year refused to share details but said he has been working for months on what he called a “comprehensive plan for more energy creation.”

Talk of an energy bill comes amid projections of massive surges in energy demand, driven in part by the proliferation of data centers in the state, development of a megafactory from Intel outside Columbus, and the retirement of a spate of coal plants. A recent auction at PJM, the regional grid operator, reached record high prices soon to hit customers' bills.

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