AI data center sites in South Dakota
49 South Dakota counties scored on transmission, the interconnection queue, power price and tax. Updated October 18, 2026.
Open a county for its queue requests, substations, plants and data centers.
| County | Score | Pipeline | Power price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 980 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 43 | 500 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 41 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 41 | 100 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 40 | 1.3 GW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 40 | 408 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 40 | 240 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 37 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 35 | 300 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 35 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 32 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 29 | 120 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 29 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 29 | 99 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 28 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 27 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 26 | 300 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 26 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 26 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 26 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 26 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 26 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 26 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 26 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 23 | 270 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 23 | 200 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 23 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 22 | 99 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 22 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 21 | 400 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 21 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 21 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 20 | 162 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 20 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 20 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 20 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 20 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 20 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 20 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 19 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 19 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 19 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 19 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 18 | 8 MW | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 17 | - | 9.5¢/kWh | |
| 17 | - | 9.5¢/kWh |
Pipeline: active generation and storage requests in the ISO queue, or EIA planned plants where larger (outside the ISOs). Top kV: highest substation voltage. Power price: the state's industrial average. DCs: GPU colocation, mining sites and AI campuses.
What the data shows
The strongest South Dakota counties for a large AI load are Brookings County (46), Grant County (43) and Minnehaha County (41) on the site score. South Dakota sits in SPP, MISO and utility territory; its ISO queues hold 5.4 GW of active generation and storage requests, 927 MW of them with a signed interconnection agreement, and it has 9 substations at 345 kV and up.
Industrial power averaged 9.5¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026 YTD), against 8.7¢/kWh a year earlier, the 31st lowest of the 50 states and DC. South Dakota has no data center-specific sales tax exemption. We track 0 AI campuses and 2 GPU-ready colocation facilities here.
Top 6 counties in detail
1. Brookings CountySPP
Site score 46 of 100
- Transmission
- 18/25
- Generation pipeline
- 7/20
- Industrial power price
- 16/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 5/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- SPP
- Queue (active)
- 980 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 5 MW
- Top substation
- 345 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 3
- Operating plants
- 682 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, SD
- 9.5¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Largest queue requests
| Project | Point of interconnection | MW | Type | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Split Rock - White (WAPA) 345.0kVMISO J3964, in service 2030-01 | Split Rock - White (WAPA) 345.0kV | 490 | Solar | In study |
| BROOKINGS COUNTYMISO J3963, in service 2030-01 | BROOKINGS COUNTY | 490 | Solar | In study |
Substations, 115 kV and up
- BROOKINGS COUNTY · 7 lines345 kV
- WHITE · 7 lines345 kV
- DEER CREEK STATION · 1 lines345 kV
- Unnamed · 6 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
2. Grant CountyMISO
Site score 43 of 100
- Transmission
- 16/25
- Generation pipeline
- 5/20
- Industrial power price
- 16/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 6/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- MISO
- Queue (active)
- 500 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 0 MW
- Top substation
- 345 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 2
- Operating plants
- 915 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, SD
- 9.5¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Largest queue requests
| Project | Point of interconnection | MW | Type | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Stone South 345 kV substationMISO J4153, in service 2031-06 | Big Stone South 345 kV substation | 250 | Storage | In study |
| Big Stone South 345 kV substationMISO J4081, in service 2031-06 | Big Stone South 345 kV substation | 250 | Storage | In study |
Substations, 115 kV and up
- BIG STONE SOUTH · 5 lines345 kV
- BIG STONE · 6 lines230 kV
3. Minnehaha CountyMISO
Site score 41 of 100
- Transmission
- 16/25
- Generation pipeline
- 0/20
- Industrial power price
- 16/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 7/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 2/10
- Market
- MISO
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 0 MW
- Top substation
- 345 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 2
- Operating plants
- 406 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 166 MW
- Industrial power, SD
- 9.5¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Substations, 115 kV and up
- SPLIT ROCK · 12 lines345 kV
- SIOUX FALLS · 11 lines230 kV
- LAWRENCE · 4 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 4 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 4 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Angus Anson · Gas, retiring 2029166 MW
Data centers, AI campuses and mining sites
- TierPoint Sioux Falls East · GPU colocation, Sioux Falls
- TierPoint Sioux Falls West · GPU colocation, Sioux Falls
Colocation from our GPU colocation list; mining sites from the miner AI conversion tracker.
4. Pennington CountyUtility: WAPA Rocky Mountain
Site score 41 of 100
- Transmission
- 16/25
- Generation pipeline
- 4/20
- Industrial power price
- 16/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 5/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: WAPA Rocky Mountain
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 100 MW
- Top substation
- 230 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 4
- Operating plants
- 278 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 108 MW
- Industrial power, SD
- 9.5¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Substations, 115 kV and up
- NEW UNDERWOOD · 7 lines230 kV
- SOUTH RAPID CITY · 3 lines230 kV
- RAPID CITY DC TIE · 2 lines230 kV
- LANGE · 2 lines230 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Ben French · Gas, retiring 2027108 MW
- Lange Generating Station · Gas, planned 2026100 MW
5. Deuel CountyMISO
Site score 40 of 100
- Transmission
- 10/25
- Generation pipeline
- 8/20
- Industrial power price
- 16/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 6/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- MISO
- Queue (active)
- 1.3 GW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 145 MW
- Top substation
- 230 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 1
- Operating plants
- 803 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, SD
- 9.5¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Largest queue requests
| Project | Point of interconnection | MW | Type | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astoria 345kV substationMISO J3941, in service 2030-05 | Astoria 345kV substation | 1,144 | Gas | In study |
| Astoria 345kV substationMISO J3400, in service 2028-04 | Astoria 345kV substation | 142 | Solar or wind + storage | In study |
Substations, 115 kV and up
- BLAIR · 3 lines230 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Toronto Power Plant · Gas, planned 2029145 MW
6. Brown CountySPP
Site score 40 of 100
- Transmission
- 14/25
- Generation pipeline
- 6/20
- Industrial power price
- 16/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 4/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- SPP
- Queue (active)
- 408 MW
- Agreement signed
- 138 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 32 MW
- Top substation
- 345 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 1
- Operating plants
- 327 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, SD
- 9.5¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Largest queue requests
| Project | Point of interconnection | MW | Type | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groton 345 kV SubstationSPP GEN-2024-035, in service 2027-09 | Groton 345 kV Substation | 270 | Solar or wind + storage | In study |
| Siebrecht 115 kV SubstationSPP ERAS-2025-035, in service 2029-06 | Siebrecht 115 kV Substation | 138 | Gas | Agreement signed |
Substations, 115 kV and up
- GROTON · 7 lines345 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- ABERDEEN · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- GROTON · 2 lines115 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Aberdeen CT · Gas, planned 202632 MW
Data center tax exemption in South Dakota
No data center-specific sales tax exemption found. Bills to create one (including HB 1005 in 2026) failed in the 2025 and 2026 sessions.
Recent change: 2026 proposals for a data center sales tax exemption failed; SB 135 (Data Center Bill of Rights) passed after language banning future data center tax exemptions was removed.
Source: KTIV, 2026-03-10. General information, not tax advice; ask your tax advisor.
Busiest points of interconnection in South Dakota
| # | Point of interconnection | County | ISO | Requests | Queued MW | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astoria 345kV substation | Deuel County, SD | MISO | 2 | 1,286 | Gas |
How the score works
Six parts out of 100: transmission (25), generation in the queue (20), the state's industrial power price (20), existing and retiring plants (15), sales tax exemption (10) and data center activity (10). The site finder's methodology prints each formula and every source with its date. Markets: SPP (Plains), MISO (Midwest and South), Utility territory (no ISO/RTO).
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Discuss a transaction
Funding a data center or the GPUs going into one in South Dakota? Tell us about the site and the capital you need, and we will come back with the lenders and the structure that fit. Operators raising debt for a cluster can start at gpulenders.com.
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