Power Supply Chain and Demand in South Dakota
SPP runs most of South Dakota's grid. 381 MW of new generation is planned in South Dakota, 136 MW of it under construction or built and awaiting operation, against 274 MW of planned retirements through 2030. 11 data centers are identified in the state. Residential electricity averaged 14.50¢/kWh in 2026 through July, +10.3% from a year earlier. Unemployment was 2.0% in August 2026, and construction employment is +28.7% against August 2019. The SAVRN trackers hold 4 local moratoria or restrictions for South Dakota across all statuses (1 in force) and 2 named projects on the Delay Watchlist.
What the build-out changed in South Dakota
South Dakota is building power faster than most states, and the jobs data shows it. Construction employment is +28.7% against August 2019, 4th 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 38.0% from 2019 to 2025, 5th in the country. Commercial electricity sales, the class that includes data centers, are +2.8% year to date, 18th in the country. Households pay part of the cost: residential prices are +10.3% year to date, the 13th fastest increase of 51. Factory employment is the exception: manufacturing jobs are -2.0% against August 2019.
Then and now
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction jobs (Aug 2019 → Aug 2026) | 23.7k | 30.5k | ▲ 28.7% | 4th of 48 |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,635 | 3,637 | ▲ 38.0% | 5th of 48 |
| Unemployment rate (Feb 2020 → Aug 2026) | 2.5% | 2.0% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Residential price, ¢/kWh (YTD Jul 2025 → 2026) | 13.15¢ | 14.50¢ | ▲ 10.3% | 13th of 51 |
| Generation fleet → planned additions | 7.7 GW operating | 0.4 GW planned | 5% of fleet | 45th of 51 |
Where South Dakota ranks among 51
1st = the most. Ranks cover every state and DC that publishes the figure.
Among its neighbors, South Dakota leads on construction jobs vs. 2019 (+28.7%), ahead of Nebraska (+26.8%).
County spotlight
Minnehaha County holds the most data centers on record in South Dakota (6), and its electrical contractor workforce changed +48.5% since 2019 to 1,363 jobs. The largest share of planned generation sits in Deuel County: 145 MW, led by Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny (natural gas). The fastest-growing electrical trade market is Pennington County, where contractor jobs grew 54.4% to 573.
Where South Dakota sits in the power system
- Grid operator
- SPP
- Operating capacity
- 7.7 GW
- Planned generation
- 381 MW
- Under construction or built
- 136 MW
- Data centers identified
- 11
- Data center load in queues
- —
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 2.0%
- Residential price change
- +10.3%
Neighboring states are shaded. Select one to open its page.
South Dakota, county by county
66 counties in South Dakota. Planned generation sits in 5 of them, data centers stand in 4, and local measures are on record in 3. Pick a layer, then select a county for its full record.
County leaders
Counties on record 20
| County | Data centers | Planned MW | Building MW | Lead developer | Electrical contractor jobs | Change 2019–25 | Local measures | Watchlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha County | 6 | — | — | — | 1,363 | ▲ 48.5% | 1 (0 in force) | — | |
| Pennington County | 2 | 100 MW | 100 MW | Black Hills Power, Inc. | 573 | ▲ 54.4% | — | — | |
| Yankton County | 2 | — | — | — | 47 | — | 2 (1 in force) | — | |
| Lincoln County | 1 | — | — | — | 270 | ▲ 41.4% | 1 (0 in force) | 1 | |
| Deuel County | — | 145 MW | — | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny | — | — | — | — | |
| McCook County | — | 99 MW | — | Geronimo Power | — | — | — | — | |
| Brown County | — | 32 MW | 32 MW | NorthWestern Energy - (SD) | — | — | — | — | |
| Brookings County | — | 5 MW | 5 MW | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny | — | — | — | — | |
| Hamlin County | — | — | — | — | 65 | — | — | — | |
| Beadle County | — | — | — | — | 46 | ▼ 14.8% | — | — | |
| Butte County | — | — | — | — | 41 | ▲ 70.8% | — | — | |
| Union County | — | — | — | — | 37 | ▲ 2.8% | — | — | |
| Hughes County | — | — | — | — | 34 | ▼ 39.3% | — | — | |
| Lake County | — | — | — | — | 22 | ▼ 61.4% | — | — | |
| Custer County | — | — | — | — | 16 | ▲ 14.3% | — | — | |
| Clay County | — | — | — | — | 15 | ▼ 6.2% | — | — | |
| Sanborn County | — | — | — | — | 10 | ▲ 25.0% | — | — | |
| Brule County | — | — | — | — | 10 | ▼ 16.7% | — | — | |
| Walworth County | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | |
| Charles Mix County | — | — | — | — | 5 | ▼ 61.5% | — | — |
Every county in South Dakota 66
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 4
| City or town | County | Data centers | Local measures | Watchlist | Latest record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls | Minnehaha County + Lincoln County | 5 | — | — | — | |
| Rapid City | Pennington County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Yankton | Yankton County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Toronto | Deuel County | — | — | 1 | Applied Digital Toronto |
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.
South Dakota, 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
- 7.7 GW
- Planned, all types
- 381 MW
- Under construction or built
- 136 MW
- Planned gas
- 277 MW
- Planned retirements 2026–30
- 274 MW
- Net firm additions derived
- -138 MW
3Data center demand
- Data centers identified
- 11
- Operators
- 5
- Load in tracked queues
- —
- Utility large-load projects
- 1
- Commercial sales, YTD change
- +2.8%
- Industry share of state GDP
- 0.9%
4Jobs and pay
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 2.0% (-0.1 pts y/y)
- Construction jobs vs 2019
- +28.7%
- Manufacturing jobs vs 2019
- -2.0%
- Electrical contractor jobs 2019–25
- +38.0%
- Electrician median pay
- $61,390
- Electrician ÷ cashier pay
- 2.06×
5Household bill
- Residential price, YTD Jul 2026
- 14.50¢/kWh
- Change vs YTD 2025
- +10.3%
- All-sector price change
- +8.5%
- Total retail sales change
- +1.7%
6Policy friction
- State measures on record
- 4
- Local measures (in force)
- 4 (1)
- Watchlist projects
- 2
- Lawsuits tracked
- 0
- Announced capital, disclosed
- —
- Dedicated tax incentive
- None listed
Planned power plants in South Dakota
Every planned generator in South Dakota 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 | 12 | 277 MW | 132 MW |
| Solar | 2 | 104 MW | 5 MW |
Largest planned generators
| Plant | County | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Solar, LLC | McCook | Solar Photovoltaic | 99 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Geronimo Power |
| Toronto Power Plant | Deuel | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 36 MW | Approvals pending | 2029 | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny |
| Toronto Power Plant | Deuel | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 36 MW | Approvals pending | 2029 | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny |
| Toronto Power Plant | Deuel | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 36 MW | Approvals pending | 2029 | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny |
| Toronto Power Plant | Deuel | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 36 MW | Approvals pending | 2029 | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny |
| Lange Generating Station | Pennington | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Pennington | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Pennington | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Pennington | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Pennington | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Pennington | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Aberdeen CT | Brown | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 16 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | NorthWestern Energy - (SD) |
| Aberdeen CT | Brown | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 16 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | NorthWestern Energy - (SD) |
| Brookings Solar | Brookings | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny |
What the South Dakota build-out runs on
Who is building generation in South Dakota, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny | 5 | 150 MW | 5 MW | Natural gas | 2 |
| Black Hills Power, Inc. | 6 | 100 MW | 100 MW | Natural gas | 1 |
| Geronimo Power | 1 | 99 MW | — | Solar | 1 |
| NorthWestern Energy - (SD) | 2 | 32 MW | 32 MW | Natural gas | 1 |
Manufacturers and contractors with a recorded South Dakota footprint
No plant, expansion or contract in the manufacturer record names South Dakota. The national suppliers below serve every state.
Order-by check derived
1 of the 1 planned units of 50 MW or more in South Dakota that are not yet under construction (99 of 99 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Solar, LLC | Solar | 99 MW | Oct 2027 | Sep 2024 | — | Geronimo Power |
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 South Dakota
11 data centers run by 5 operators are identified in South Dakota. The full list by city is on the South Dakota Data Center Map page. Utilities report 1 large customer projects here to EEI.
| Utility | Customer or type | MW stated | Investment stated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail Power Company | Applied Digital | 430 MW | $16 billion |
The South Dakota 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 | 470.2k | ▲ 0.2% | ▲ 6.6% (+29.2k) |
| Construction | 30.5k | ▲ 2.7% | ▲ 28.7% (+6.8k) |
| Manufacturing | 44.1k | ▼ 0.2% | ▼ 2.0% (-0.9k) |
| Mining and logging | 1.2k | ● 0.0% | ▲ 20.0% (+0.2k) |
| Retail trade | 52.1k | ▼ 3.5% | ▲ 2.0% (+1.0k) |
Power and data industries, 2019 to 2025
| Industry | Jobs 2019 | Jobs 2025 | Change | Average pay 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data processing and hosting | — | not disclosed | — | — |
| Electrical contractors | 2,635 | 3,637 | ▲ 38.0% | $76,159 |
| Power and communication line construction | — | not disclosed | — | — |
| Electric power generation, transmission, distribution | — | 1,628 | — | $118,441 |
| Transformer manufacturing | — | not disclosed | — | — |
Pay ladder, May 2025
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual pay | Multiple of cashier pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | 12,860 | $29,780 | 1.00× |
| Fast food and counter workers | 15,150 | $29,490 | 0.99× |
| Retail salespersons | 14,180 | $34,370 | 1.15× |
| All occupations | 457,380 | $47,080 | 1.58× |
| Construction laborers | 1,780 | $45,710 | 1.53× |
| Welders | 3,250 | $49,440 | 1.66× |
| HVAC mechanics | 1,610 | $61,390 | 2.06× |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 1,760 | $51,620 | 1.73× |
| Electricians | 2,980 | $61,390 | 2.06× |
| Power-line installers | 740 | $97,310 | 3.27× |
| Construction supervisors | 2,360 | $77,690 | 2.61× |
| Electrical engineers | 530 | $98,980 | 3.32× |
County-level contractor jobs and pay are in the county record above.
What the data center industry adds to South Dakota
PwC figures are modeled estimates commissioned by the industry.
The rules and the pipeline in South Dakota
State measures 4
| Bill | Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB 135 | Data Center Bill of Rights for Citizens | In force | 2026-03 | |
| HB 1005 | South Dakota: In South Dakota, multiple data center bills saw different outcomes: HB 1005 (50-year sales tax exemption for data centers) was rejected 9-3 | In force | 2026-02 | |
| HB1301 | Limit costs and risks associated with electricity use by data centers and impose a moratorium. | Proposed | 2026-02 | |
| SB 232 | One-year hyperscale data center moratorium | Failed / vetoed | 2026-02 |
Delay Watchlist projects 2
| Project | Location | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls Hyperscale Data Center | Lincoln County | denied | 500 MW | ||
| Applied Digital Toronto | Toronto | cancelled | 430 MW |
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 South Dakota 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.
South Dakota's neighbors
South Dakota power, answered from the record
How much new power generation is planned in South Dakota?
EIA's August 2026 inventory lists 381 MW of planned generators in South Dakota, 136 MW of it under construction or built. By capacity the pipeline is natural gas 73%, solar 27%. The largest single unit is Grant Solar, LLC (99 MW, Geronimo Power). Owners plan to retire 274 MW from 2026 to 2030.
Who runs the power grid in South Dakota?
SPP serves most of South Dakota as the regional wholesale market and grid operator. No data center load is tracked in its queues yet.
Is the build-out creating trade jobs in South Dakota?
Construction employment is +28.7% against August 2019. Electrical contractor jobs went from 2,635 in 2019 to 3,637 in 2025 (+38.0%, 5th in the country).
Is planned generation in South Dakota on schedule?
1 of 1 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 South Dakota?
Residential electricity averaged 14.50¢/kWh from January to July 2026, +10.3% on a year earlier, the 13th fastest increase of 51. Commercial sales, the class that includes data centers, changed +2.8%.
What do electricians earn in South Dakota?
The median electrician in South Dakota earned $61,390 in May 2025, 2.06 times the median cashier, and power-line installers earned $97,310 (BLS OEWS).
Which counties in South Dakota have the most planned generation?
By planned nameplate capacity: Deuel County (145 MW), Pennington County (100 MW), McCook County (99 MW).
Does South Dakota have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 4 state-level measures (2 enacted) and 4 local moratoria or restrictions in South Dakota, 1 of them in force, 43rd most in the country.
South Dakota 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.