Power Supply Chain and Demand in Kansas
SPP runs most of Kansas's grid. 2,373 MW of new generation is planned in Kansas, 563 MW of it under construction or built and awaiting operation, against 808 MW of planned retirements through 2030. 20 data centers are identified in the state. Residential electricity averaged 15.21¢/kWh in 2026 through July, +6.2% from a year earlier. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, and construction employment is +23.1% against August 2019. The SAVRN trackers hold 24 local moratoria or restrictions for Kansas across all statuses (19 in force) and 6 named projects on the Delay Watchlist.
What the build-out changed in Kansas
Kansas is in the middle of the pack, with a few sharp signals worth watching. Construction employment is +23.1% against August 2019, 13th of 48 states where BLS publishes it. Commercial electricity sales, the class that includes data centers, are +3.0% year to date, 16th in the country. Electrical contractor jobs, the trade every data center, substation and plant needs first, grew 23.4% from 2019 to 2025, 18th in the country. Pushback is organized: the SAVRN trackers hold 24 local moratoria or restrictions in Kansas, 20th in the country.
Then and now
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction jobs (Aug 2019 → Aug 2026) | 63.2k | 77.8k | ▲ 23.1% | 13th of 48 |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,777 | 8,363 | ▲ 23.4% | 18th of 48 |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,861 | 2,042 | ▲ 9.7% | 31st of 44 |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,961 | 2,389 | ▲ 21.8% | 35th of 46 |
| Unemployment rate (Feb 2020 → Aug 2026) | 3.1% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Residential price, ¢/kWh (YTD Jul 2025 → 2026) | 14.32¢ | 15.21¢ | ▲ 6.2% | 30th of 51 |
| Generation fleet → planned additions | 21.1 GW operating | 2.4 GW planned | 11% of fleet | 33rd of 51 |
Where Kansas ranks among 51
1st = the most. Ranks cover every state and DC that publishes the figure.
Regionally, Nebraska leads on construction jobs vs. 2019 at +26.8%; Kansas is 3rd of 5 in its neighborhood at +23.1%.
County spotlight
Johnson County holds the most data centers on record in Kansas (14), and its electrical contractor workforce changed +22.1% since 2019 to 2,140 jobs. The largest share of planned generation sits in Sumner County: 765 MW, led by Evergy Kansas Central, Inc (natural gas). The fastest-growing electrical trade market is Shawnee County, where contractor jobs grew 31.5% to 768.
Where Kansas sits in the power system
- Grid operator
- SPP
- Operating capacity
- 21.1 GW
- Planned generation
- 2,373 MW
- Under construction or built
- 563 MW
- Data centers identified
- 20
- Data center load in queues
- —
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 3.8%
- Residential price change
- +6.2%
Neighboring states are shaded. Select one to open its page.
Kansas, county by county
105 counties in Kansas. Planned generation sits in 10 of them, data centers stand in 6, and local measures are on record in 15. Pick a layer, then select a county for its full record.
County leaders
Counties on record 39
| County | Data centers | Planned MW | Building MW | Lead developer | Electrical contractor jobs | Change 2019–25 | Local measures | Watchlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County | 14 | — | — | — | 2,140 | ▲ 22.1% | — | 1 | |
| Shawnee County | 2 | — | — | — | 768 | ▲ 31.5% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Sedgwick County | 1 | — | — | — | 1,722 | ▲ 0.8% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Ellis County | 1 | — | — | — | 59 | ▲ 13.5% | — | — | |
| Barber County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Mitchell County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Reno County | — | 765 MW | — | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | 177 | — | — | — | |
| Sumner County | — | 765 MW | — | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | — | — | — | — | |
| Ford County | — | 327 MW | 252 MW | NextEra Energy Resources, LLC | — | — | — | — | |
| Cloud County | — | 202 MW | — | Plum Nellie Wind Farm LLC | — | — | — | — | |
| Pratt County | — | 202 MW | 202 MW | Nextera Energy Resources | — | — | — | — | |
| Wilson County | — | 65 MW | 65 MW | Evergy Missouri West | — | — | — | — | |
| Cherokee County | — | 27 MW | 27 MW | Empire District Electric Co | — | — | — | — | |
| Allen County | — | 8 MW | 8 MW | City of Iola - (KS) | — | — | — | — | |
| Neosho County | — | 7 MW | 7 MW | City of Chanute (KS) | 10 | ▼ 33.3% | — | — | |
| Republic County | — | 6 MW | 3 MW | City of Belleville - (KS) | — | — | — | — | |
| Wyandotte County | — | — | — | — | 834 | ▲ 29.3% | — | — | |
| Crawford County | — | — | — | — | 253 | ▲ 912.0% | — | — | |
| Saline County | — | — | — | — | 121 | ▲ 13.1% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Harvey County | — | — | — | — | 120 | ▲ 18.8% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Miami County | — | — | — | — | 113 | ▲ 41.3% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Finney County | — | — | — | — | 111 | — | — | — | |
| McPherson County | — | — | — | — | 85 | ▼ 20.6% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Barton County | — | — | — | — | 81 | — | — | — | |
| Marion County | — | — | — | — | 64 | — | — | — | |
| Nemaha County | — | — | — | — | 27 | ▲ 58.8% | — | — | |
| Bourbon County | — | — | — | — | 22 | ▲ 15.8% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Labette County | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | |
| Scott County | — | — | — | — | 20 | ▼ 25.9% | — | — | |
| Atchison County | — | — | — | — | 18 | ▲ 5.9% | — | — | |
| Brown County | — | — | — | — | 9 | ▲ 125.0% | — | — | |
| Franklin County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Lyon County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 (2 in force) | — | |
| Geary County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Pottawatomie County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | |
| Kingman County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Douglas County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Leavenworth County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (0 in force) | 1 | |
| Riley County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — |
Every county in Kansas 105
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 18
| City or town | County | Data centers | Local measures | Watchlist | Latest record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenexa | Johnson County | 5 | — | — | — | |
| Olathe | Johnson County | 4 | — | — | — | |
| Overland Park | Johnson County | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Topeka | Shawnee County | 1 | 1 (1 in force) | — | Local moratorium on data centers through July 14, 2027 In force | |
| Beloit | Mitchell County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| De Soto | Johnson County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Hays | Ellis County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Medicine Lodge | Barber County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Shawnee | Johnson County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Wichita | Sedgwick County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Edgerton | Johnson County | — | 1 (0 in force) | 1 | Six-month data center moratorium (denied 3-2) Failed / vetoed | |
| Gardner | Johnson County | — | 1 (0 in force) | 1 | Gardner (data center moratorium failed for lack of a second), KS data center moratorium (failed) Failed / vetoed | |
| El Dorado | Butler County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | City moratorium on data centers through November 30, 2026 In force | |
| Emporia | Lyon County | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | Proposed local moratorium on data centers Proposed | |
| Lawrence | Douglas County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | City moratorium on data centers through July 14, 2028 In force | |
| Marysville | Marshall County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | 12-month moratorium on data center applications In force | |
| South Hutchinson | Reno County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | City moratorium on data centers through May 26, 2027 In force | |
| Kansas | — | — | — | 2 | SB 400; SB 526 |
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.
Kansas, from generation to the household bill
1Grid operator
- Record peak (Aug 2023)
- 56 GW
- 2026 ITP Future 2 peak 2035
- 110 GW
2Generation pipeline
- Operating capacity
- 21.1 GW
- Planned, all types
- 2,373 MW
- Under construction or built
- 563 MW
- Planned gas
- 1,557 MW
- Planned retirements 2026–30
- 808 MW
- Net firm additions derived
- -244 MW
3Data center demand
- Data centers identified
- 20
- Operators
- 11
- Load in tracked queues
- —
- Utility large-load projects
- 2
- Commercial sales, YTD change
- +3.0%
- Industry share of state GDP
- 1.5%
4Jobs and pay
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 3.8% (+0.1 pts y/y)
- Construction jobs vs 2019
- +23.1%
- Manufacturing jobs vs 2019
- +1.3%
- Electrical contractor jobs 2019–25
- +23.4%
- Electrician median pay
- $65,860
- Electrician ÷ cashier pay
- 2.29×
5Household bill
- Residential price, YTD Jul 2026
- 15.21¢/kWh
- Change vs YTD 2025
- +6.2%
- All-sector price change
- +4.9%
- Total retail sales change
- +1.9%
6Policy friction
- State measures on record
- 6
- Local measures (in force)
- 24 (19)
- Watchlist projects
- 6
- Lawsuits tracked
- 0
- Announced capital, disclosed
- $0.9B
- Dedicated tax incentive
- Yes
Planned power plants in Kansas
Every planned generator in Kansas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 4 | 1,557 MW | 27 MW |
| Wind | 2 | 454 MW | 252 MW |
| Solar | 2 | 267 MW | 267 MW |
| Battery storage | 1 | 75 MW | — |
| Other | 9 | 21 MW | 18 MW |
Largest planned generators
| Plant | County | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McNew Generating Station | Reno | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 765 MW | Approvals received | 2030 | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc |
| Viola Generating Station | Sumner | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 765 MW | Approvals received | 2029 | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc |
| Pioneer Creek Wind, LLC | Ford | Onshore Wind Turbine | 252 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | NextEra Energy Resources, LLC |
| Plum Nellie Wind Farm LLC | Cloud | Onshore Wind Turbine | 202 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Plum Nellie Wind Farm LLC |
| Ninnescah Flats Solar | Pratt | Solar Photovoltaic | 202 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Nextera Energy Resources |
| Boot Hill Energy Storage | Ford | Batteries | 75 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | Boot Hill Energy Storage LLC |
| Sunflower Sky Energy Center | Wilson | Solar Photovoltaic | 65 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Evergy Missouri West |
| Riverton | Cherokee | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 14 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Empire District Electric Co |
| Riverton | Cherokee | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 14 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Empire District Electric Co |
| Belleville | Republic | Petroleum Liquids | 3 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | City of Belleville - (KS) |
| Belleville | Republic | Petroleum Liquids | 3 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2028 | City of Belleville - (KS) |
| Chanute 1 | Neosho | Petroleum Liquids | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | City of Chanute (KS) |
| Chanute 1 | Neosho | Petroleum Liquids | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | City of Chanute (KS) |
| Chanute 1 | Neosho | Petroleum Liquids | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | City of Chanute (KS) |
| Iola | Allen | Petroleum Liquids | 2 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | City of Iola - (KS) |
What the Kansas build-out runs on
Who is building generation in Kansas, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | 2 | 1,530 MW | — | Natural gas | 2 |
| NextEra Energy Resources, LLC | 1 | 252 MW | 252 MW | Wind | 1 |
| Nextera Energy Resources | 1 | 202 MW | 202 MW | Solar | 1 |
| Plum Nellie Wind Farm LLC | 1 | 202 MW | — | Wind | 1 |
| Boot Hill Energy Storage LLC | 1 | 75 MW | — | Battery storage | 1 |
| Evergy Missouri West | 1 | 65 MW | 65 MW | Solar | 1 |
| Empire District Electric Co | 2 | 27 MW | 27 MW | Natural gas | 1 |
| City of Iola - (KS) | 4 | 8 MW | 8 MW | Other | 1 |
| City of Chanute (KS) | 3 | 7 MW | 7 MW | Other | 1 |
| City of Belleville - (KS) | 2 | 6 MW | 3 MW | Other | 1 |
Manufacturers and contractors with a recorded Kansas footprint
No plant, expansion or contract in the manufacturer record names Kansas. The national suppliers below serve every state.
Order-by check derived
4 of the 4 planned units of 50 MW or more in Kansas that are not yet under construction (1,807 of 1,807 MW) are past the date their step-up transformer had to be ordered to meet the planned in-service date, and 2 gas units are (1,530 MW) past the turbine order date as well. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viola Generating Station | Natural gas | 765 MW | Jan 2029 | Dec 2025 | Jan 2024 | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc |
| McNew Generating Station | Natural gas | 765 MW | Jan 2030 | Dec 2026 | Jan 2025 | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc |
| Plum Nellie Wind Farm LLC | Wind | 202 MW | Oct 2027 | Sep 2024 | — | Plum Nellie Wind Farm LLC |
| Boot Hill Energy Storage | Battery storage | 75 MW | Dec 2028 | Nov 2025 | — | Boot Hill Energy Storage 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 Kansas
20 data centers run by 11 operators are identified in Kansas. The full list by city is on the Kansas Data Center Map page. Utilities report 2 large customer projects here to EEI.
| Utility | Customer or type | MW stated | Investment stated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy | Panasonic | — | $4 billion | |
| Evergy | Beale Infrastructure | — | $700 million |
The Kansas 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 | 1,472.3k | ▲ 0.5% | ▲ 3.1% (+44.4k) |
| Construction | 77.8k | ▲ 5.6% | ▲ 23.1% (+14.6k) |
| Manufacturing | 173.5k | ▲ 0.6% | ▲ 1.3% (+2.3k) |
| Mining and logging | 6.0k | ▲ 3.5% | ▼ 10.4% (-0.7k) |
| Retail trade | 140.8k | ▼ 0.4% | ▼ 0.9% (-1.3k) |
Power and data industries, 2019 to 2025
| Industry | Jobs 2019 | Jobs 2025 | Change | Average pay 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data processing and hosting | 1,961 | 2,389 | ▲ 21.8% | $137,232 |
| Electrical contractors | 6,777 | 8,363 | ▲ 23.4% | $81,730 |
| Power and communication line construction | 1,861 | 2,042 | ▲ 9.7% | $95,913 |
| Electric power generation, transmission, distribution | — | 4,359 | — | $125,380 |
| Transformer manufacturing | — | not disclosed | — | — |
Pay ladder, May 2025
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual pay | Multiple of cashier pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | 33,080 | $28,800 | 1.00× |
| Fast food and counter workers | 47,140 | $27,580 | 0.96× |
| Retail salespersons | 33,360 | $32,180 | 1.12× |
| All occupations | 1,437,520 | $48,010 | 1.67× |
| Construction laborers | 9,990 | $44,840 | 1.56× |
| Welders | 6,370 | $49,410 | 1.72× |
| HVAC mechanics | 3,770 | $60,460 | 2.10× |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 4,590 | $65,220 | 2.26× |
| Electricians | 6,350 | $65,860 | 2.29× |
| Power plant operators | 520 | $79,980 | 2.78× |
| Power-line installers | 1,610 | $101,620 | 3.53× |
| Construction supervisors | 8,940 | $76,780 | 2.67× |
| Electrical engineers | 2,100 | $102,630 | 3.56× |
County-level contractor jobs and pay are in the county record above.
What the data center industry adds to Kansas
PwC figures are modeled estimates commissioned by the industry.
The rules and the pipeline in Kansas
State measures 6
| Bill | Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB 531 | Ban on new large data centers in drought counties | Failed / vetoed | 2026-07 | |
| SB 526 | Kansas: SB 526 adds a zoning requirement to Kansas's existing SB 98 data center sales tax exemption program, mandating that data centers must be located | Failed / vetoed | 2026-03 | |
| SB 400 | Kansas SB 400 would require data centers to use closed-loop cooling systems (no water evaporation) and authorize municipalities, local district attorneys | Failed / vetoed | 2026-01 | |
| SB98 | Providing a sales tax exemption for the construction or remodeling of a qualified data center in Kansas and the purchase of data center equipment | In force | 2025-04 | |
| HB 2450 | Substitute for HB 2450 by Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development - Providing a sales tax exemption for the construction or remodeling | Failed / vetoed | 2024-04 | |
| SB 545 | Providing a sales tax exemption for the construction or remodeling of a qualified data center in Kansas and the purchase of data center equipment | Failed / vetoed | 2024-04 |
Delay Watchlist projects 6
| Project | Location | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Bluestem | Leavenworth County (Tonganoxie) | pending review | 1,200 MW | ||
| Project Pilot / Beale Infrastructure De Soto Campus | De Soto, Johnson County | approved expanded amid opposition | — | ||
| SB 400 | Kansas (statewide) | cancelled | — | ||
| SB 526 | Kansas (statewide) | cancelled | — | ||
| Beale Infrastructure Gardner, KS | Gardner, KS | withdrawn | — | ||
| DAMAC Digital Edgerton (DAMAC data center denied; 6-month moratorium also denied), KS | Edgerton (DAMAC data center denied; 6-month moratorium also denied), KS | denied | — |
Local moratoria and restrictions (24) 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 Kansas 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.
Kansas's neighbors
Kansas power, answered from the record
How much new power generation is planned in Kansas?
EIA's August 2026 inventory lists 2,373 MW of planned generators in Kansas, 563 MW of it under construction or built. By capacity the pipeline is natural gas 66%, wind 19%, solar 11%. The largest single unit is McNew Generating Station (765 MW, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc). Owners plan to retire 808 MW from 2026 to 2030.
Who runs the power grid in Kansas?
SPP serves most of Kansas as the regional wholesale market and grid operator. No data center load is tracked in its queues yet.
Is planned generation in Kansas 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, and 2 gas units are past the turbine order date (about five years). They hold schedule only if equipment is already on order.
Is the build-out creating trade jobs in Kansas?
Construction employment is +23.1% against August 2019. Electrical contractor jobs went from 6,777 in 2019 to 8,363 in 2025 (+23.4%, 18th in the country).
What do electricians earn in Kansas?
The median electrician in Kansas earned $65,860 in May 2025, 2.29 times the median cashier, and power-line installers earned $101,620 (BLS OEWS).
Which counties in Kansas have the most planned generation?
By planned nameplate capacity: Sumner County (765 MW), Reno County (765 MW), Ford County (327 MW).
Are electricity prices rising in Kansas?
Residential electricity averaged 15.21¢/kWh from January to July 2026, +6.2% on a year earlier, the 30th fastest increase of 51. Commercial sales, the class that includes data centers, changed +3.0%.
Does Kansas have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 6 state-level measures (1 enacted) and 24 local moratoria or restrictions in Kansas, 19 of them in force, 20th most in the country.
Kansas 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.