Power Supply Chain and Demand in Idaho
Vertically integrated utilities run most of Idaho's grid. 959 MW of new generation is planned in Idaho, 400 MW of it under construction or built and awaiting operation, against 0 MW of planned retirements through 2030. 17 data centers are identified in the state. Residential electricity averaged 12.96¢/kWh in 2026 through July, +12.0% from a year earlier. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, and construction employment is +43.6% against August 2019. The SAVRN trackers hold 4 local moratoria or restrictions for Idaho across all statuses (3 in force) and 4 named projects on the Delay Watchlist.
What the build-out changed in Idaho
Idaho is building power faster than most states, and the jobs data shows it. Construction employment is +43.6% against August 2019, 1st of 48 states where BLS publishes it, well ahead of the national pace. Electrical contractor jobs, the trade every data center, substation and plant needs first, grew 66.6% from 2019 to 2025, 1st in the country. Data processing and hosting jobs grew 90.5% from 2019 to 2025, 4th of 46 states that disclose the industry. Households pay part of the cost: residential prices are +12.0% year to date, the 10th fastest increase of 51.
Then and now
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction jobs (Aug 2019 → Aug 2026) | 53.7k | 77.1k | ▲ 43.6% | 1st of 48 |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,836 | 8,056 | ▲ 66.6% | 1st of 48 |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 890 | 1,230 | ▲ 38.2% | 12th of 44 |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 687 | 1,309 | ▲ 90.5% | 4th of 46 |
| Unemployment rate (Feb 2020 → Aug 2026) | 2.8% | 3.6% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Residential price, ¢/kWh (YTD Jul 2025 → 2026) | 11.57¢ | 12.96¢ | ▲ 12.0% | 10th of 51 |
| Generation fleet → planned additions | 6.8 GW operating | 1.0 GW planned | 14% of fleet | 28th of 51 |
Where Idaho ranks among 51
1st = the most. Ranks cover every state and DC that publishes the figure.
Among its neighbors, Idaho leads on construction jobs vs. 2019 (+43.6%), ahead of Utah (+31.4%).
County spotlight
Ada County holds the most data centers on record in Idaho (13), and its electrical contractor workforce changed +67.4% since 2019 to 2,818 jobs. The fastest-growing electrical trade market is Canyon County, where contractor jobs grew 78.4% to 1,222.
Where Idaho sits in the power system
- Grid operator
- Non-RTO (utility-run)
- Operating capacity
- 6.8 GW
- Planned generation
- 959 MW
- Under construction or built
- 400 MW
- Data centers identified
- 17
- Data center load in queues
- —
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 3.6%
- Residential price change
- +12.0%
Neighboring states are shaded. Select one to open its page.
Idaho, county by county
44 counties in Idaho. Planned generation sits in 3 of them, data centers stand in 4, and local measures are on record in 2. Pick a layer, then select a county for its full record.
County leaders
Counties on record 19
| County | Data centers | Planned MW | Building MW | Lead developer | Electrical contractor jobs | Change 2019–25 | Local measures | Watchlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada County | 13 | 400 MW | 400 MW | Blacks Creek Energy Center, LLC | 2,818 | ▲ 67.4% | — | 1 | |
| Kootenai County | 2 | — | — | — | 677 | ▲ 66.7% | 1 (0 in force) | — | |
| Bear Lake County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Madison County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Bonneville County | — | 359 MW | — | PacifiCorp | — | — | — | — | |
| Elmore County | — | 200 MW | — | Clenera DevCo LLC | — | — | — | — | |
| Canyon County | — | — | — | — | 1,222 | ▲ 78.4% | — | — | |
| Jefferson County | — | — | — | — | 243 | ▲ 131.4% | — | — | |
| Bannock County | — | — | — | — | 235 | — | 1 (1 in force) | 2 | |
| Bingham County | — | — | — | — | 210 | — | — | — | |
| Latah County | — | — | — | — | 168 | ▲ 61.5% | — | — | |
| Minidoka County | — | — | — | — | 150 | — | — | — | |
| Cassia County | — | — | — | — | 80 | ▲ 3.9% | — | — | |
| Jerome County | — | — | — | — | 75 | ▲ 53.1% | — | — | |
| Payette County | — | — | — | — | 58 | ▲ 13.7% | — | — | |
| Boundary County | — | — | — | — | 44 | ▼ 12.0% | — | — | |
| Gooding County | — | — | — | — | 35 | ▼ 7.9% | — | — | |
| Gem County | — | — | — | — | 32 | ▲ 39.1% | — | — | |
| Valley County | — | — | — | — | 20 | ▲ 42.9% | — | — |
Every county in Idaho 44
Each county has its own page: power plants, utilities and prices, jobs since 2019, data centers, local rules and its neighbors.
Cities and towns on record 8
| City or town | County | Data centers | Local measures | Watchlist | Latest record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise | — | 5 | — | — | — | |
| Boise City | Ada County | 5 | — | — | — | |
| Kuna | Ada County | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Coeur d'Alene | Kootenai County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Montpelier | Bear Lake County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Rexburg | Madison County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Pocatello | Bannock County | — | 1 (1 in force) | 1 | City Council affirms denial of AI data center conditional use permit In force | |
| Sandpoint | Bonner County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Proposed local moratorium on data centers In force |
Data center counts come from every facility on the SAVRN Data Center Map, counted in the county and the city or community where each building physically stands (Census boundaries), not its mailing address. Jurisdictions appear as the Moratorium Tracker records them.
Idaho, from generation to the household bill
1Grid operator
Utility-run territory: resource planning sits with the vertically integrated utilities and the state commission.
2Generation pipeline
- Operating capacity
- 6.8 GW
- Planned, all types
- 959 MW
- Under construction or built
- 400 MW
- Planned gas
- 0 MW
- Planned retirements 2026–30
- 0 MW
- Net firm additions derived
- 400 MW
3Data center demand
- Data centers identified
- 17
- Operators
- 12
- Load in tracked queues
- —
- Utility large-load projects
- 2
- Commercial sales, YTD change
- +1.6%
- Industry share of state GDP
- 1.8%
4Jobs and pay
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 3.6% (+0.0 pts y/y)
- Construction jobs vs 2019
- +43.6%
- Manufacturing jobs vs 2019
- +10.5%
- Electrical contractor jobs 2019–25
- +66.6%
- Electrician median pay
- $63,000
- Electrician ÷ cashier pay
- 2.07×
5Household bill
- Residential price, YTD Jul 2026
- 12.96¢/kWh
- Change vs YTD 2025
- +12.0%
- All-sector price change
- +6.2%
- Total retail sales change
- -0.3%
6Policy friction
- State measures on record
- 7
- Local measures (in force)
- 4 (3)
- Watchlist projects
- 4
- Lawsuits tracked
- 0
- Announced capital, disclosed
- $1.2B
- Dedicated tax incentive
- Yes
Planned power plants in Idaho
Every planned generator in Idaho in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, by technology, then the 15 largest units. Under construction or built covers status codes U, V and TS.
| Technology | Units | Planned MW | Under construction or built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | 2 | 500 MW | 400 MW |
| Wind | 2 | 359 MW | — |
| Battery storage | 1 | 100 MW | — |
Largest planned generators
| Plant | County | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacks Creek Solar | Ada | Solar Photovoltaic | 400 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Blacks Creek Energy Center, LLC |
| Arco Wind and Solar Project | Bonneville | Onshore Wind Turbine | 206 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | PacifiCorp |
| Arco Wind and Solar Project | Bonneville | Onshore Wind Turbine | 153 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | PacifiCorp |
| Crimson Orchard Solar and BESS | Elmore | Batteries | 100 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Clenera DevCo LLC |
| Crimson Orchard Solar and BESS | Elmore | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Clenera DevCo LLC |
What the Idaho build-out runs on
Who is building generation in Idaho, which manufacturers and contractors have a plant, expansion or contract recorded here, and how long the critical equipment takes to arrive.
Developers and owners with planned generation
| Developer or owner | Units | Planned MW | Building MW | Main technology | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacks Creek Energy Center, LLC | 1 | 400 MW | 400 MW | Solar | 1 |
| PacifiCorp | 2 | 359 MW | — | Wind | 1 |
| Clenera DevCo LLC | 2 | 200 MW | — | Battery storage | 1 |
Manufacturers and contractors with a recorded Idaho footprint
No plant, expansion or contract in the manufacturer record names Idaho. The national suppliers below serve every state.
Order-by check derived
4 of the 4 planned units of 50 MW or more in Idaho that are not yet under construction (559 of 559 MW) are past the date their step-up transformer had to be ordered to meet the planned in-service date. These units hold their schedules only if the equipment is already on order.
| Plant | Technology | MW | Planned in service | Transformer order-by | Turbine order-by | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arco Wind and Solar Project | Wind | 206 MW | Dec 2028 | Nov 2025 | — | PacifiCorp |
| Arco Wind and Solar Project | Wind | 153 MW | Dec 2027 | Nov 2024 | — | PacifiCorp |
| Crimson Orchard Solar and BESS | Battery storage | 100 MW | Apr 2027 | Mar 2024 | — | Clenera DevCo LLC |
| Crimson Orchard Solar and BESS | Solar | 100 MW | Apr 2027 | Mar 2024 | — | Clenera DevCo LLC |
Lead times, OEM backlogs and the national generation and grid contractors are on the national supply chain section.
Data center and large-load demand in Idaho
17 data centers run by 12 operators are identified in Idaho. The full list by city is on the Idaho Data Center Map page. Utilities report 2 large customer projects here to EEI.
| Utility | Customer or type | MW stated | Investment stated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Power | Meta | — | $800 million | |
| Idaho Power | Micron | — | $15 billion |
The Idaho jobs report, and who the build-out employs
Payroll employment, August 2026 (preliminary)
| Industry | Jobs | Change vs Aug 2025 | Change vs Aug 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total nonfarm | 890.7k | ▲ 0.9% | ▲ 16.6% (+127.1k) |
| Construction | 77.1k | ▲ 2.8% | ▲ 43.6% (+23.4k) |
| Manufacturing | 77.7k | ▲ 3.6% | ▲ 10.5% (+7.4k) |
| Mining and logging | 4.5k | ▲ 2.3% | ▲ 18.4% (+0.7k) |
| Retail trade | 96.7k | ▲ 2.3% | ▲ 11.4% (+9.9k) |
Power and data industries, 2019 to 2025
| Industry | Jobs 2019 | Jobs 2025 | Change | Average pay 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data processing and hosting | 687 | 1,309 | ▲ 90.5% | $160,177 |
| Electrical contractors | 4,836 | 8,056 | ▲ 66.6% | $77,341 |
| Power and communication line construction | 890 | 1,230 | ▲ 38.2% | $126,803 |
| Electric power generation, transmission, distribution | — | 2,614 | — | $95,317 |
| Transformer manufacturing | — | not disclosed | — | — |
Pay ladder, May 2025
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual pay | Multiple of cashier pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | 17,200 | $30,370 | 1.00× |
| Fast food and counter workers | 25,810 | $28,940 | 0.95× |
| Retail salespersons | 20,180 | $35,080 | 1.16× |
| All occupations | 857,440 | $47,970 | 1.58× |
| Construction laborers | 10,850 | $46,940 | 1.55× |
| Welders | 3,300 | $50,530 | 1.66× |
| HVAC mechanics | 4,550 | $56,240 | 1.85× |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 3,090 | $52,380 | 1.72× |
| Electricians | 5,690 | $63,000 | 2.07× |
| Power plant operators | 310 | $124,440 | 4.10× |
| Power-line installers | 860 | $125,410 | 4.13× |
| Construction supervisors | 6,730 | $75,550 | 2.49× |
| Electrical engineers | 1,000 | $129,340 | 4.26× |
County-level contractor jobs and pay are in the county record above.
What the data center industry adds to Idaho
PwC figures are modeled estimates commissioned by the industry.
The rules and the pipeline in Idaho
State measures 7
| Bill | Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H 897 | TAXATION, Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a certain property tax exemption for certain capital | Proposed | 2026-04 | |
| HB 895 | Idaho House passed HB 895 (58-10) on March 20, requiring future data centers to design cooling systems for non-consumptive water use or use water | In force | 2026-03 | |
| H 609 | TAXATION, Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a property tax exemption for certain capital investments. | Proposed | 2026-02 | |
| H0739 | Idaho: Bipartisan bill H0739 would limit sales tax exemptions to data center-specific equipment (excluding construction materials), sunset the exemption | Failed / vetoed | 2026-02 | |
| HB 874 | Idaho: HB 874, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen (R-Idaho Falls), would prevent Idaho's Public Utilities Commission from approving any new customer | Failed / vetoed | 2026-02 | |
| HB 756 | Idaho HB 756 (Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen R-Idaho Falls), introduced February 2026, would prohibit the Idaho PUC from approving any new customer requiring 20+ MW | Failed / vetoed | 2026-01 | |
| H 521 | TAXATION, Adds to and amends existing law to provide a sales and use tax exemption for the purchase or use of eligible server equipment and new data center | In force | 2020-03 |
Delay Watchlist projects 4
| Project | Location | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lex Developments Pocatello Data Center ($2.6B) | Pocatello (Bannock County) | under appeal | — | ||
| Meta Kuna Data Center Expansion Pause | Kuna (Ada County) | delayed | — | ||
| Hoku site data center | Pocatello (Bannock County) | denied | — | ||
| Lex Developments Pocatello | Pocatello | denied | — |
Local moratoria and restrictions (4) appear by county and city in the county-by-county section. Counts include every status in the weekly tracker feeds as of October 5, 2026. The Idaho Data Center Map page counts only active local pauses and delayed or blocked projects as of its September 2 rebuild, so its figures are lower. The difference is one of definition and date.
Idaho's neighbors
Idaho power, answered from the record
How much new power generation is planned in Idaho?
EIA's August 2026 inventory lists 959 MW of planned generators in Idaho, 400 MW of it under construction or built. By capacity the pipeline is solar 52%, wind 37%, battery storage 10%. The largest single unit is Blacks Creek Solar (400 MW, Blacks Creek Energy Center, LLC). Owners plan to retire 0 MW from 2026 to 2030.
Who runs the power grid in Idaho?
Non-RTO (utility-run) serves most of Idaho, which means vertically integrated utilities plan and dispatch generation under the state commission. No data center load is tracked in its queues yet.
Is the build-out creating trade jobs in Idaho?
Construction employment is +43.6% against August 2019. Electrical contractor jobs went from 4,836 in 2019 to 8,056 in 2025 (+66.6%, 1st in the country).
Is planned generation in Idaho on schedule?
4 of 4 planned units of 50 MW or more not yet under construction are past the latest date to order a step-up transformer (more than 160 weeks) for their planned in-service date. They hold schedule only if equipment is already on order.
Are electricity prices rising in Idaho?
Residential electricity averaged 12.96¢/kWh from January to July 2026, +12.0% on a year earlier, the 10th fastest increase of 51. Commercial sales, the class that includes data centers, changed +1.6%.
What do electricians earn in Idaho?
The median electrician in Idaho earned $63,000 in May 2025, 2.07 times the median cashier, and power-line installers earned $125,410 (BLS OEWS).
Which counties in Idaho have the most planned generation?
By planned nameplate capacity: Ada County (400 MW), Bonneville County (359 MW), Elmore County (200 MW).
Does Idaho have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 7 state-level measures (2 enacted) and 4 local moratoria or restrictions in Idaho, 3 of them in force, 42nd most in the country.
Idaho across the SAVRN trackers
Sources for this page
- BEA state GDP via FRED
- BLS LAUS
- BLS OEWS
- BLS QCEW
- BLS State Employment (CES)
- EEI large customer projects
- EIA Electric Power Monthly
- EIA-860M (Aug 2026)
- NCSL
- PwC for the Data Center Coalition
- SAVRN Capital Atlas
- SAVRN Data Center Map
- SAVRN Delay Watchlist
- SAVRN Grid Operator Watchlist
- SAVRN Moratorium Tracker
- U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (via us-atlas)
Every figure links to its original source through the Sources buttons. Values marked derived are calculated from reported figures.