Power Supply Chain and Demand in Massachusetts
ISO-NE runs most of Massachusetts's grid. 727 MW of new generation is planned in Massachusetts, 252 MW of it under construction or built and awaiting operation, against 1 MW of planned retirements through 2030. 53 data centers are identified in the state. Residential electricity averaged 30.14¢/kWh in 2026 through July, -0.3% from a year earlier. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, and construction employment is +2.4% against August 2019. The SAVRN trackers hold 17 local moratoria or restrictions for Massachusetts across all statuses (10 in force) and 4 named projects on the Delay Watchlist.
What the build-out changed in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is in the middle of the pack, with a few sharp signals worth watching. The data center industry now accounts for 2.6% of Massachusetts's economy, the 10th largest share of any state (the median state is 1.8%), counting the industry's in-state suppliers and payrolls. Data processing and hosting jobs grew 22.6% from 2019 to 2025, 34th of 46 states that disclose the industry. Commercial electricity sales, the class that includes data centers, are -0.2% year to date, 39th in the country. The weak spot: electrical contractor jobs, 2019 to 2025 ranks 45th of 48 at +3.4%. Factory employment is the exception: manufacturing jobs are -5.9% against August 2019.
Then and now
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction jobs (Aug 2019 → Aug 2026) | 163.9k | 167.9k | ▲ 2.4% | 41st of 48 |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 24,342 | 25,179 | ▲ 3.4% | 45th of 48 |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,210 | 3,187 | ▼ 0.7% | 35th of 44 |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,122 | 9,960 | ▲ 22.6% | 34th of 46 |
| Unemployment rate (Feb 2020 → Aug 2026) | 3.1% | 4.3% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Residential price, ¢/kWh (YTD Jul 2025 → 2026) | 30.22¢ | 30.14¢ | ▼ 0.3% | 49th of 51 |
| Generation fleet → planned additions | 14.0 GW operating | 0.7 GW planned | 5% of fleet | 44th of 51 |
Where Massachusetts ranks among 51
1st = the most. Ranks cover every state and DC that publishes the figure.
Among its neighbors, Massachusetts leads on data center share of state gdp (2.6%), ahead of New Hampshire (2.4%).
County spotlight
Middlesex County holds the most data centers on record in Massachusetts (22), and its electrical contractor workforce changed -7.5% since 2019 to 6,744 jobs. The largest share of planned generation sits in Suffolk County: 250 MW, led by Energizar Storage LLC (battery storage). The fastest-growing electrical trade market is Plymouth County, where contractor jobs grew 23.9% to 3,101.
Where Massachusetts sits in the power system
- Grid operator
- ISO-NE
- Operating capacity
- 14.0 GW
- Planned generation
- 727 MW
- Under construction or built
- 252 MW
- Data centers identified
- 53
- Data center load in queues
- —
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 4.3%
- Residential price change
- -0.3%
Neighboring states are shaded. Select one to open its page.
Massachusetts, county by county
14 counties in Massachusetts. Planned generation sits in 8 of them, data centers stand in 7, and local measures are on record in 1. Pick a layer, then select a county for its full record.
County leaders
Counties on record 9
| County | Data centers | Planned MW | Building MW | Lead developer | Electrical contractor jobs | Change 2019–25 | Local measures | Watchlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County | 22 | 5 MW | 5 MW | Uriel Renovables S.A | 6,744 | ▼ 7.5% | 1 (0 in force) | — | |
| Worcester County | 8 | 205 MW | 205 MW | FE Taft LLC | 2,117 | ▲ 5.0% | — | — | |
| Hampden County | 7 | 10 MW | 10 MW | Holyoke MA BESS 1 LLC | 1,405 | ▲ 13.5% | — | — | |
| Suffolk County | 6 | 250 MW | — | Energizar Storage LLC | 1,719 | ▼ 21.5% | — | — | |
| Plymouth County | 3 | 52 MW | 6 MW | ReWild Renewables, LLC | 3,101 | ▲ 23.9% | — | — | |
| Essex County | 3 | 5 MW | 5 MW | Ipswich MA BESS 1 LLC | 2,175 | ▲ 7.1% | — | — | |
| Norfolk County | 2 | 11 MW | 11 MW | Mountain Street Solar Project 2019, LLC | 3,794 | ▲ 4.0% | — | — | |
| Bristol County | — | 189 MW | 10 MW | Somerset Energy Storage, LLC | 1,855 | ▲ 20.5% | — | — | |
| Berkshire County | — | — | — | — | 477 | ▲ 4.6% | — | — |
Every county in Massachusetts 14
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 28
| City or town | County | Data centers | Local measures | Watchlist | Latest record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | Suffolk County | 6 | 1 (0 in force) | — | Proposed citywide zoning ban on data centers Proposed | |
| Springfield | Hampden County | 6 | — | — | — | |
| Waltham | Middlesex County | 5 | — | — | — | |
| Somerville | Middlesex County | 4 | — | — | — | |
| Cambridge | Middlesex County | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Worcester | Worcester County | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Lowell | Middlesex County | 2 | 1 (1 in force) | 2 | 360-day data center moratorium In force | |
| Needham | Norfolk County + Norfolk County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Rockland | Plymouth County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Holyoke | Hampden County | 1 | 1 (1 in force) | — | City moratorium on data centers with no end date In force | |
| Lynn | Essex County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Marlborough | Middlesex County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Medford | Middlesex County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Wakefield | Middlesex County + Middlesex County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Watertown | Middlesex County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Westfield | Hampden County | — | 1 (1 in force) | 2 | City moratorium on data centers through July 6, 2027 In force | |
| Agawam | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | City moratorium on data centers through June 3, 2027 In force | |
| City of Westfield | Hampden County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | City of Westfield (1-year data center moratorium, final vote) data center moratorium In force | |
| Greenfield | Franklin County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Greenfield one-year data center moratorium In force | |
| Leominster | Worcester County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Data center moratorium through July 31, 2027 In force | |
| Mansfield | Bristol County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Zoning bylaw barring data centers above 2 MW In force | |
| Northampton | Hampshire County | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | Proposed city moratorium on data centers Proposed | |
| Plymouth | Plymouth County + Plymouth County | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | Proposed town moratorium on data centers Proposed | |
| Salem | Essex County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Data center permit revocation upheld; citywide ban proposed In force | |
| Shutesbury | Franklin County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Shutesbury data center moratorium In force | |
| Southbridge | — | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | Proposed town moratorium on data centers Proposed | |
| Spencer | Worcester County + Worcester County | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | Proposed data center moratorium Proposed | |
| Wilmington | Middlesex County + Middlesex County | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | Wilmington proposed zoning bylaw prohibiting data centers over 2 MW Proposed |
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.
Massachusetts, from generation to the household bill
1Grid operator
- Data center projects in forecast framework
- 2 projects
2Generation pipeline
- Operating capacity
- 14.0 GW
- Planned, all types
- 727 MW
- Under construction or built
- 252 MW
- Planned gas
- 0 MW
- Planned retirements 2026–30
- 1 MW
- Net firm additions derived
- 250 MW
3Data center demand
- Data centers identified
- 53
- Operators
- 32
- Load in tracked queues
- —
- Utility large-load projects
- 0
- Commercial sales, YTD change
- -0.2%
- Industry share of state GDP
- 2.6%
4Jobs and pay
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 4.3% (-0.2 pts y/y)
- Construction jobs vs 2019
- +2.4%
- Manufacturing jobs vs 2019
- -5.9%
- Electrical contractor jobs 2019–25
- +3.4%
- Electrician median pay
- $79,420
- Electrician ÷ cashier pay
- 2.24×
5Household bill
- Residential price, YTD Jul 2026
- 30.14¢/kWh
- Change vs YTD 2025
- -0.3%
- All-sector price change
- +3.2%
- Total retail sales change
- +1.0%
6Policy friction
- State measures on record
- 5
- Local measures (in force)
- 17 (10)
- Watchlist projects
- 4
- Lawsuits tracked
- 0
- Announced capital, disclosed
- —
- Dedicated tax incentive
- Yes
Planned power plants in Massachusetts
Every planned generator in Massachusetts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery storage | 17 | 672 MW | 234 MW |
| Solar | 14 | 55 MW | 18 MW |
Largest planned generators
| Plant | County | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energizar BESS | Suffolk | Batteries | 250 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Energizar Storage LLC |
| Taft BESS | Worcester | Batteries | 200 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | FE Taft LLC |
| Salt Cod BESS | Bristol | Batteries | 168 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Somerset Energy Storage, LLC |
| Town of Sharon Portfolio -Mt St Landfill | Norfolk | Batteries | 6 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Mountain Street Solar Project 2019, LLC |
| Town of Sharon Portfolio -Mt St Landfill | Norfolk | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Mountain Street Solar Project 2019, LLC |
| Logging Swamp South | Plymouth | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | ReWild Renewables, LLC |
| Logging Swamp North | Plymouth | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | ReWild Renewables, LLC |
| Clems Way Solar | Bristol | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | ReWild Renewables, LLC |
| Randall Lane Solar | Plymouth | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | ReWild Renewables, LLC |
| Randall Lane Solar | Plymouth | Batteries | 5 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | ReWild Renewables, LLC |
| Braley Hill North Solar | Plymouth | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Agilitas Energy, Inc. |
| Braley Hill North Solar | Plymouth | Batteries | 5 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Agilitas Energy, Inc. |
| Holyoke MA BESS 1 | Hampden | Batteries | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Holyoke MA BESS 1 LLC |
| Borrego - Highland Ave | Bristol | Batteries | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Highland Ave Solar 1, LLC |
| Ipswich MA BESS 1 | Essex | Batteries | 5 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Ipswich MA BESS 1 LLC |
What the Massachusetts build-out runs on
Who is building generation in Massachusetts, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energizar Storage LLC | 1 | 250 MW | — | Battery storage | 1 |
| FE Taft LLC | 1 | 200 MW | 200 MW | Battery storage | 1 |
| Somerset Energy Storage, LLC | 1 | 168 MW | — | Battery storage | 1 |
| ReWild Renewables, LLC | 9 | 33 MW | — | Solar | 2 |
| Agilitas Energy, Inc. | 4 | 18 MW | — | Battery storage | 1 |
| Mountain Street Solar Project 2019, LLC | 2 | 11 MW | 11 MW | Battery storage | 1 |
| Highland Ave Solar 1, LLC | 2 | 10 MW | 10 MW | Solar | 1 |
| Uriel Renovables S.A | 2 | 10 MW | 10 MW | Battery storage | 2 |
| TJA 540R Main St. Acushnet, LLC | 2 | 6 MW | — | Solar | 1 |
| Holyoke MA BESS 1 LLC | 1 | 5 MW | 5 MW | Battery storage | 1 |
| Ipswich MA BESS 1 LLC | 1 | 5 MW | 5 MW | Battery storage | 1 |
| Madison Energy Investments LLC | 1 | 5 MW | 5 MW | Solar | 1 |
| Solar Carver 1, LLC | 2 | 4 MW | 4 MW | Battery storage | 1 |
| Solar Carver 3, LLC | 2 | 2 MW | 2 MW | Battery storage | 1 |
Manufacturers and contractors with a recorded Massachusetts footprint
No plant, expansion or contract in the manufacturer record names Massachusetts. The national suppliers below serve every state.
Order-by check derived
2 of the 2 planned units of 50 MW or more in Massachusetts that are not yet under construction (418 of 418 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energizar BESS | Battery storage | 250 MW | Sep 2027 | Aug 2024 | — | Energizar Storage LLC |
| Salt Cod BESS | Battery storage | 168 MW | Dec 2028 | Nov 2025 | — | Somerset 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 Massachusetts
53 data centers run by 32 operators are identified in Massachusetts. The full list by city is on the Massachusetts Data Center Map page. Utilities report 0 large customer projects here to EEI.
No large customer projects reported to EEI for this state.
The Massachusetts 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 | 3,706.0k | ▲ 0.2% | ▼ 0.2% (-9.0k) |
| Construction | 167.9k | ▲ 1.4% | ▲ 2.4% (+4.0k) |
| Manufacturing | 229.7k | ▲ 1.8% | ▼ 5.9% (-14.4k) |
| Mining and logging | 1.1k | ▲ 10.0% | ▲ 10.0% (+0.1k) |
| Retail trade | 317.3k | ▼ 1.1% | ▼ 9.7% (-34.0k) |
Power and data industries, 2019 to 2025
| Industry | Jobs 2019 | Jobs 2025 | Change | Average pay 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data processing and hosting | 8,122 | 9,960 | ▲ 22.6% | $292,029 |
| Electrical contractors | 24,342 | 25,179 | ▲ 3.4% | $103,755 |
| Power and communication line construction | 3,210 | 3,187 | ▼ 0.7% | $174,450 |
| Electric power generation, transmission, distribution | — | 8,605 | — | $160,333 |
| Transformer manufacturing | — | 114 | — | $132,808 |
Pay ladder, May 2025
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual pay | Multiple of cashier pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | 58,880 | $35,520 | 1.00× |
| Fast food and counter workers | 85,810 | $35,850 | 1.01× |
| Retail salespersons | 86,860 | $36,610 | 1.03× |
| All occupations | 3,637,650 | $63,590 | 1.79× |
| Construction laborers | 16,210 | $63,390 | 1.78× |
| Welders | 2,830 | $62,570 | 1.76× |
| HVAC mechanics | 8,200 | $77,300 | 2.18× |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 13,460 | $93,880 | 2.64× |
| Electricians | 17,810 | $79,420 | 2.24× |
| Power plant operators | 880 | $100,140 | 2.82× |
| Power-line installers | 2,350 | $110,210 | 3.10× |
| Construction supervisors | 18,330 | $97,850 | 2.75× |
| Electrical engineers | 5,040 | $127,720 | 3.60× |
County-level contractor jobs and pay are in the county record above.
What the data center industry adds to Massachusetts
PwC figures are modeled estimates commissioned by the industry.
The rules and the pipeline in Massachusetts
State measures 5
| Bill | Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Order No. 658 | Local approval and clean energy requirements for data centers | In force | 2026-09 | |
| Executive Order | Healey's New Data Center Rules | In force | 2026-09 | |
| Senate amendment | Proposed one-year data-center moratorium | Failed / vetoed | 2026-07 | |
| Administrative hold (June 2026) | Hold on data center sales and use tax exemption applications | Paused | 2026-06 | |
| Massachusetts House (rejects Rep. Pease budget amendment for data center impact study commission) | Massachusetts House rejected without debate a Republican budget amendment (Rep. Kelly Pease) that would have created a commission to study data centers' | Failed / vetoed | 2026-05 |
Delay Watchlist projects 4
| Project | Location | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markley Group Lowell Expansion | Lowell | litigation active | — | ||
| Markley Group Lowell Data Center Generator Expansion | Lowell | litigation active | — | ||
| Westfield Data Center ($4B) | Westfield | delayed | — | ||
| Servistar Realties Westfield | Westfield | delayed | — |
Local moratoria and restrictions (17) 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 Massachusetts 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.
Massachusetts's neighbors
Massachusetts power, answered from the record
How much new power generation is planned in Massachusetts?
EIA's August 2026 inventory lists 727 MW of planned generators in Massachusetts, 252 MW of it under construction or built. By capacity the pipeline is battery storage 92%, solar 8%. The largest single unit is Energizar BESS (250 MW, Energizar Storage LLC). Owners plan to retire 1 MW from 2026 to 2030.
Who runs the power grid in Massachusetts?
ISO-NE serves most of Massachusetts as the regional wholesale market and grid operator. No data center load is tracked in its queues yet.
Are electricity prices rising in Massachusetts?
Residential electricity averaged 30.14¢/kWh from January to July 2026, -0.3% on a year earlier, one of the few jurisdictions where it fell. Commercial sales, the class that includes data centers, changed -0.2%.
Is planned generation in Massachusetts on schedule?
2 of 2 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.
How much do data centers add to the Massachusetts economy?
PwC's 2026 study for the Data Center Coalition credits the industry with 99,120 in-state jobs, $20.4B of GDP (2.6% of the state economy, 10th of 51) and $1.9B in state and local taxes in 2024. These are modeled estimates commissioned by the industry.
Where are the data centers in Massachusetts?
53 data centers run by 32 operators are identified in Massachusetts. The largest clusters are in Middlesex County (22), Worcester County (8), Hampden County (7).
What do electricians earn in Massachusetts?
The median electrician in Massachusetts earned $79,420 in May 2025, 2.24 times the median cashier, and power-line installers earned $110,210 (BLS OEWS).
Does Massachusetts have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 5 state-level measures (2 enacted) and 17 local moratoria or restrictions in Massachusetts, 10 of them in force, 27th most in the country.
Massachusetts 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.