Power Supply Chain and Demand in Vermont
ISO-NE runs most of Vermont's grid. 108 MW of new generation is planned in Vermont, 18 MW of it under construction or built and awaiting operation, against 0 MW of planned retirements through 2030. 8 data centers are identified in the state. Residential electricity averaged 23.95¢/kWh in 2026 through July, +6.6% from a year earlier. Unemployment was 2.6% in August 2026, and construction employment is +7.8% against August 2019. The SAVRN trackers hold 3 local moratoria or restrictions for Vermont across all statuses (3 in force) and 0 named projects on the Delay Watchlist.
What the build-out changed in Vermont
Vermont is in the middle of the pack, with a few sharp signals worth watching. The data center industry now accounts for 1.7% of Vermont's economy, the 28th 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 33.0% from 2019 to 2025, 27th of 46 states that disclose the industry. Planned generation equals 12% of the power plants Vermont runs today, 31st of 51 (the median state plans 15%). The weak spot: construction jobs vs. 2019 ranks 36th of 48 at +7.8%. Factory employment is the exception: manufacturing jobs are -7.6% against August 2019.
Then and now
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction jobs (Aug 2019 → Aug 2026) | 15.3k | 16.5k | ▲ 7.8% | 36th of 48 |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 373 | 496 | ▲ 33.0% | 27th of 46 |
| Unemployment rate (Feb 2020 → Aug 2026) | 2.2% | 2.6% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Residential price, ¢/kWh (YTD Jul 2025 → 2026) | 22.46¢ | 23.95¢ | ▲ 6.6% | 29th of 51 |
| Generation fleet → planned additions | 0.9 GW operating | 0.1 GW planned | 12% of fleet | 31st of 51 |
Where Vermont ranks among 51
1st = the most. Ranks cover every state and DC that publishes the figure.
Regionally, Massachusetts leads on data center share of state gdp at 2.6%; Vermont is 4th of 4 in its neighborhood at 1.7%.
County spotlight
Chittenden County holds the most data centers on record in Vermont (6), and its electrical contractor workforce changed -14.5% since 2019 to 578 jobs. The largest share of planned generation sits in Addison County: 50 MW, led by Viridis Solar (solar).
Where Vermont sits in the power system
- Grid operator
- ISO-NE
- Operating capacity
- 0.9 GW
- Planned generation
- 108 MW
- Under construction or built
- 18 MW
- Data centers identified
- 8
- Data center load in queues
- —
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 2.6%
- Residential price change
- +6.6%
Neighboring states are shaded. Select one to open its page.
Vermont, county by county
14 counties in Vermont. Planned generation sits in 4 of them, data centers stand in 3, and local measures are on record in 0. Pick a layer, then select a county for its full record.
County leaders
Too few counties disclose contractor jobs.
Counties on record 10
| County | Data centers | Planned MW | Building MW | Lead developer | Electrical contractor jobs | Change 2019–25 | Local measures | Watchlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chittenden County | 6 | 16 MW | 16 MW | Essex VT BESS 1 LLC | 578 | ▼ 14.5% | — | — | |
| Rutland County | 1 | 20 MW | — | Freepoint Commodities LLC | 152 | ▲ 21.6% | — | — | |
| Windham County | 1 | — | — | — | 136 | ▲ 11.5% | — | — | |
| Addison County | — | 50 MW | — | Viridis Solar | — | — | — | — | |
| Bennington County | — | 22 MW | 2 MW | Freepoint Commodities LLC | — | — | — | — | |
| Washington County | — | — | — | — | 200 | ▲ 25.8% | — | — | |
| Orleans County | — | — | — | — | 129 | ▲ 10.3% | — | — | |
| Lamoille County | — | — | — | — | 105 | ▲ 36.4% | — | — | |
| Orange County | — | — | — | — | 103 | ▲ 15.7% | — | — | |
| Caledonia County | — | — | — | — | 74 | ▲ 146.7% | — | — |
Every county in Vermont 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 4
| City or town | County | Data centers | Local measures | Watchlist | Latest record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Burlington | Chittenden County | 3 | 1 (1 in force) | — | City moratorium on data centers with no end date In force | |
| Burlington | Chittenden County | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Morristown | Lamoille County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Town moratorium on data centers In force | |
| Royalton | Windsor County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Royalton data center moratorium 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.
Vermont, from generation to the household bill
1Grid operator
- Data center projects in forecast framework
- 2 projects
2Generation pipeline
- Operating capacity
- 0.9 GW
- Planned, all types
- 108 MW
- Under construction or built
- 18 MW
- Planned gas
- 0 MW
- Planned retirements 2026–30
- 0 MW
- Net firm additions derived
- 18 MW
3Data center demand
- Data centers identified
- 8
- Operators
- 7
- Load in tracked queues
- —
- Utility large-load projects
- 0
- Commercial sales, YTD change
- +0.0%
- Industry share of state GDP
- 1.7%
4Jobs and pay
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 2.6% (+0.0 pts y/y)
- Construction jobs vs 2019
- +7.8%
- Manufacturing jobs vs 2019
- -7.6%
- Electrical contractor jobs 2019–25
- —
- Electrician median pay
- $63,430
- Electrician ÷ cashier pay
- 1.78×
5Household bill
- Residential price, YTD Jul 2026
- 23.95¢/kWh
- Change vs YTD 2025
- +6.6%
- All-sector price change
- +6.4%
- Total retail sales change
- +0.0%
6Policy friction
- State measures on record
- 1
- Local measures (in force)
- 3 (3)
- Watchlist projects
- 0
- Lawsuits tracked
- 0
- Announced capital, disclosed
- —
- Dedicated tax incentive
- None listed
Planned power plants in Vermont
Every planned generator in Vermont 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 | 4 | 92 MW | 2 MW |
| Battery storage | 1 | 16 MW | 16 MW |
Largest planned generators
| Plant | County | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panton | Addison | Solar Photovoltaic | 50 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Viridis Solar |
| Fair Haven Solar | Rutland | Solar Photovoltaic | 20 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | Freepoint Commodities LLC |
| Shaftsbury Solar | Bennington | Solar Photovoltaic | 20 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Freepoint Commodities LLC |
| Essex VT BESS 1 | Chittenden | Batteries | 16 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Essex VT BESS 1 LLC |
| Apple Hill Solar | Bennington | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Ecos Energy LLC |
What the Vermont build-out runs on
Who is building generation in Vermont, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viridis Solar | 1 | 50 MW | — | Solar | 1 |
| Freepoint Commodities LLC | 2 | 40 MW | — | Solar | 2 |
| Essex VT BESS 1 LLC | 1 | 16 MW | 16 MW | Battery storage | 1 |
| Ecos Energy LLC | 1 | 2 MW | 2 MW | Solar | 1 |
Manufacturers and contractors with a recorded Vermont footprint
No plant, expansion or contract in the manufacturer record names Vermont. The national suppliers below serve every state.
Order-by check derived
1 of the 1 planned units of 50 MW or more in Vermont that are not yet under construction (50 of 50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panton | Solar | 50 MW | Dec 2028 | Nov 2025 | — | Viridis Solar |
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 Vermont
8 data centers run by 7 operators are identified in Vermont. The full list by city is on the Vermont Data Center Map page. Utilities report 0 large customer projects here to EEI.
No large customer projects reported to EEI for this state.
The Vermont 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 | 310.6k | ▼ 0.3% | ▼ 1.6% (-5.0k) |
| Construction | 16.5k | ▲ 0.6% | ▲ 7.8% (+1.2k) |
| Manufacturing | 27.8k | ▲ 1.5% | ▼ 7.6% (-2.3k) |
| Mining and logging | 0.9k | ▲ 12.5% | ▲ 12.5% (+0.1k) |
| Retail trade | 34.6k | ▼ 1.4% | ▼ 5.2% (-1.9k) |
Power and data industries, 2019 to 2025
| Industry | Jobs 2019 | Jobs 2025 | Change | Average pay 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data processing and hosting | 373 | 496 | ▲ 33.0% | $158,009 |
| Electrical contractors | 0 | 1,880 | — | $68,963 |
| Power and communication line construction | — | not disclosed | — | — |
| Electric power generation, transmission, distribution | — | 986 | — | $143,224 |
Pay ladder, May 2025
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual pay | Multiple of cashier pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | 7,030 | $35,720 | 1.00× |
| Fast food and counter workers | 6,830 | $36,030 | 1.01× |
| Retail salespersons | 8,250 | $37,400 | 1.05× |
| All occupations | 303,890 | $56,390 | 1.58× |
| Construction laborers | 1,430 | $48,580 | 1.36× |
| Welders | 340 | $60,890 | 1.70× |
| HVAC mechanics | 970 | $62,150 | 1.74× |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 980 | $62,170 | 1.74× |
| Electricians | 1,270 | $63,430 | 1.78× |
| Power plant operators | 140 | $78,240 | 2.19× |
| Power-line installers | 270 | $108,520 | 3.04× |
| Construction supervisors | 1,010 | $82,490 | 2.31× |
| Electrical engineers | 820 | $111,310 | 3.12× |
County-level contractor jobs and pay are in the county record above.
What the data center industry adds to Vermont
PwC figures are modeled estimates commissioned by the industry.
The rules and the pipeline in Vermont
State measures 1
| Bill | Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.205 / H.727 | Moratorium on new data centers until 2030 | Failed / vetoed | 2026-05 |
Delay Watchlist projects 0
No projects on the Delay Watchlist.
Local moratoria and restrictions (3) 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 Vermont 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.
Vermont's neighbors
Vermont power, answered from the record
How much new power generation is planned in Vermont?
EIA's August 2026 inventory lists 108 MW of planned generators in Vermont, 18 MW of it under construction or built. By capacity the pipeline is solar 85%, battery storage 15%. The largest single unit is Panton (50 MW, Viridis Solar). Owners plan to retire 0 MW from 2026 to 2030.
Who runs the power grid in Vermont?
ISO-NE serves most of Vermont as the regional wholesale market and grid operator. No data center load is tracked in its queues yet.
Is planned generation in Vermont 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.
Which counties in Vermont have the most planned generation?
By planned nameplate capacity: Addison County (50 MW), Bennington County (22 MW), Rutland County (20 MW).
Are electricity prices rising in Vermont?
Residential electricity averaged 23.95¢/kWh from January to July 2026, +6.6% on a year earlier, the 29th fastest increase of 51. Commercial sales, the class that includes data centers, changed +0.0%.
How much do data centers add to the Vermont economy?
PwC's 2026 study for the Data Center Coalition credits the industry with 6,170 in-state jobs, $0.8B of GDP (1.7% of the state economy, 28th of 51) and $0.1B in state and local taxes in 2024. These are modeled estimates commissioned by the industry.
Who is building power plants in Vermont?
The largest owners of planned generation are Viridis Solar (50 MW, mostly solar), Freepoint Commodities LLC (40 MW, mostly solar), Essex VT BESS 1 LLC (16 MW, mostly battery storage) (EIA-860M).
Does Vermont have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 state-level measure (0 enacted) and 3 local moratoria or restrictions in Vermont, 3 of them in force, 46th most in the country.
Vermont 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.