Kennebec County, Maine: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Augusta, Waterville and Winslow
Kennebec County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Kennebec County is home to Augusta, Waterville, Winslow and Oakland. 101 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 136 MW of capacity, 75% of it solar. Employers here counted 62,270 jobs in 2025, up 2.8% from 2019 (the 5th fastest growth of 16 Maine counties). Central Maine Power Co is the largest utility serving Kennebec County. Its residential customers paid an average 23.43¢/kWh in 2024, above the 17.06¢ median for Maine utilities.
Cities and towns in Kennebec County
Kennebec County is home to Augusta, Waterville, Winslow and Oakland.
And 5 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Clinton, Farmingdale, Oakland, Randolph, Winslow, Winthrop.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Kennebec County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Maine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 124,732 | 129,067 | ▲ 3.5% | 4th of 16 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 60,602 | 62,270 | ▲ 2.8% | 5th of 16 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,333 | $62,915 | ▲ 38.8% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 185 | 333 | ▲ 80.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 3.2% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 101 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.2% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. 129,067 people live here, up 3.5% since 2020, 4th of 16 Maine counties by population.
Who powers Kennebec County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +101 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Kennebec County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Maine Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 577,955 | 23.43¢ | 22% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 33
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 102 MW | 75% |
| Hydro | 34 MW | 25% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydro Kennebec Project | Hydro Kennebec LLC | Hydro | 15 MW | 1989 |
| Lockwood Hydroelectric Facility | Merimil Ltd Partnership | Hydro | 7 MW | 1985 |
| Augusta PV - BD Solar Augusta LLC | BD Solar Augusta LLC | Solar | 7 MW | 2021 |
| Winslow PV - BD Solar 2 LLC | BD Solar 2 LLC | Solar | 7 MW | 2022 |
| Cenergy - Waterville (CSG) | Luminace Sunbeam Development Holdings, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2023 |
| Oakland | Nautilus Solar Solutions | Solar | 5 MW | 2022 |
The Kennebec County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 62,270 | $62,915 | 1.00 |
| Power and communication line construction | 333 | $149,695 | 3.31 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Kennebec County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Kennebec County. Maine has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Androscoggin County.
Kennebec County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Kennebec County, Somerset County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennebec County | 129,067 | ▲ 2.8% | 136 MW | — | — | — |
| Androscoggin County | 116,487 | ▼ 2.6% | 196 MW | 30 MW | — | 1 |
| Franklin County | 30,824 | ▼ 2.1% | 336 MW | — | — | — |
| Lincoln County | 36,595 | ▲ 1.9% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Sagadahoc County | 37,979 | ▲ 5.8% | 24 MW | 17 MW | — | — |
| Somerset County | 51,620 | ▼ 0.4% | 498 MW | — | — | — |
| Waldo County | 40,693 | ▼ 2.3% | 149 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
More of Maine
Kennebec County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Kennebec County, Maine?
1 utility has service territory in Kennebec County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Central Maine Power Co. The largest, Central Maine Power Co, charged residential customers 23.43¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Augusta, ME in?
Augusta is in Kennebec County, Maine. About 19,155 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Waterville, ME in?
Waterville is in Kennebec County, Maine. About 17,579 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Kennebec County?
33 operating plants with 136 MW of capacity. The largest is Hydro Kennebec Project (15 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Kennebec County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Kennebec County.
Is Kennebec County adding jobs?
Employers counted 62,270 jobs in 2025 against 60,602 in 2019 (+2.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Kennebec County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Kennebec County. Maine has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.