Aligned Project Caprock
Aligned Data Centers' 540 MW, $5 billion hyperscale campus on 313 acres in Hale County near Abernathy, Texas, powered with Xcel Energy. Construction began in April 2026, with initial delivery targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 540 MW
- Estimated cost
- $5,000,000,000
- Building size
- 1,650,000 sq ftCampus total, six buildings
- Construction start
- Apr 9, 2026Groundbreaking
- Expected completion
- Q1 2027First building (LBB-01) in service
- Last verified
- Not yet re-verified
Companies and roles
- Developer
- General contractor
Unions
No union agreement was found in the sources reviewed. This does not mean the site is non-union.
Locals with jurisdiction over this site
Local with jurisdiction over this site (not confirmed on the job)
- Electricians
- Plumbers & pipefitters
- Ironworkers
- Laborers
- Boilermakers
- Insulators
Prevailing wages (government minimums)
Minimum hourly pay the U.S. Department of Labor sets for federally funded building work in Hale County, by trade. It is a floor, not what this project pays: data center jobs often pay above scale, and non-union survey rates can be many years old.
| Trade | Wage /hr | Overtime 1.5× | Double time 2× | Benefits /hr | Total comp /hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElectriciansNon-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old rateELECTRICIANOvertime 1.5× $27.09 · Double time 2× $36.12 · Benefits /hr $4.87 | $18.06 | $27.09 | $36.12 | $4.87 | $22.93 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 404 · effective Sep 1, 2022PLUMBEROvertime 1.5× $42.96 · Double time 2× $57.28 · Benefits /hr $10.65 | $28.64 | $42.96 | $57.28 | $10.65 | $39.29 |
| Sheet metal & HVACNon-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old rateSHEET METAL WORKEROvertime 1.5× $25.50 · Double time 2× $34.00 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $17.00 | $25.50 | $34.00 | $0.00 | $17.00 |
| LaborersUnion rate · Laborers Local 154 · effective May 1, 2024LABORERS: MASON TENDER - CEMENT/CONCRETEOvertime 1.5× $37.91 · Double time 2× $50.54 · Benefits /hr $9.57 | $25.27 | $37.91 | $50.54 | $9.57 | $34.84 |
| Operating engineers (heavy equipment)Non-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old rateOPERATOR: BACKHOE/EXCAVATOR/TRACKHOEOvertime 1.5× $20.63 · Double time 2× $27.50 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $13.75 | $20.63 | $27.50 | $0.00 | $13.75 |
| CarpentersNon-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old rateCARPENTEROvertime 1.5× $19.50 · Double time 2× $26.00 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $13.00 | $19.50 | $26.00 | $0.00 | $13.00 |
| BoilermakersUnion rate · Boilermakers Local 74 · effective Jan 1, 2025BOILERMAKEROvertime 1.5× $49.76 · Double time 2× $66.34 · Benefits /hr $24.92 | $33.17 | $49.76 | $66.34 | $24.92 | $58.09 |
| InsulatorsUnion rate · Heat and Frost Insulators Local 22 · effective Jul 1, 2024ASBESTOS WORKER/HEAT & FROST INSULATOROvertime 1.5× $45.30 · Double time 2× $60.40 · Benefits /hr $12.38 | $30.20 | $45.30 | $60.40 | $12.38 | $42.58 |
| PaintersNon-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old ratePAINTER: BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAYOvertime 1.5× $18.39 · Double time 2× $24.52 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $12.26 | $18.39 | $24.52 | $0.00 | $12.26 |
| BricklayersNon-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old rateBRICKLAYEROvertime 1.5× $29.19 · Double time 2× $38.92 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $19.46 | $29.19 | $38.92 | $0.00 | $19.46 |
| Plasterers & cement masonsNon-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old rateCEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHEROvertime 1.5× $19.91 · Double time 2× $26.54 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $13.27 | $19.91 | $26.54 | $0.00 | $13.27 |
| RoofersNon-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old rateROOFEROvertime 1.5× $20.46 · Double time 2× $27.28 · Benefits /hr $1.80 | $13.64 | $20.46 | $27.28 | $1.80 | $15.44 |
| Teamsters (drivers)Non-union survey rate · effective Apr 20, 2009 · old rateTRUCK DRIVEROvertime 1.5× $16.86 · Double time 2× $22.48 · Benefits /hr $0.35 | $11.24 | $16.86 | $22.48 | $0.35 | $11.59 |
- Wage:
- the hourly pay in the worker's paycheck, before taxes, at straight time.
- Overtime and double time:
- the wage × 1.5 and × 2. Federal contracts require time and a half after 40 hours a week; when double time applies (for example Sundays, holidays or after 10–12 hours) is set by each union contract.
- Benefits:
- paid by the employer on top of the wage into the worker's health insurance, pension and annuity, and apprenticeship training funds (sometimes vacation and holiday pay). Not in the paycheck.
- Total comp:
- wage + benefits for one straight-time hour.
Journeyman rates only; shift premiums and per diem are not included. Source: Davis-Bacon general wage determinations on SAM.gov.
Apprentices: rates above are for journeymen. Apprentices are usually paid a percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting around 40–60% and rising about 10 percentage points every 6 months to a year until they reach the full rate. Exact steps vary by trade and local.
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination TX20260149 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
Per diem reported
Typical per diem reported · Lubbock / Abernathy
$138–$150 /day
Range $125–$150 · 3 reports
Per diem is a daily allowance for meals and lodging. It is usually paid only to travelers, often those who live 50+ miles from the job, and it varies by contractor. These are amounts reported in job posts, union job boards and worker posts for this area: they are not guaranteed. "Typical" is the middle half of the reports.
| Job | Per day |
|---|---|
| Pipefitter (ProPress / VRF retrofit)Job listing · Aerotek · Job board (jobboard.io) · Aug 15, 2026 · View post (opens in a new tab) | $150posted as $1,050/week |
| ElectricianJob listing · Dataone Construction · RoadDogJobs · May 13, 2026 · View post (opens in a new tab) | $150 |
| Pipefitter / welderJob listing · HardHat · FactoryFix · View post (opens in a new tab) | $125 |
Weekly amounts are divided by 7 and monthly amounts by 30. Not counted: shift-completion bonuses ("incentives"), per diem built into the hourly wage, jobs with lodging provided, and office or safety roles. Posts on personal social media profiles are counted but not linked.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public sources:
- DatacenterDynamics (opens in a new tab)datacenterdynamics.com · News
- W.Media (opens in a new tab)w.media · News
- IBEW inside jurisdiction map (TX) (opens in a new tab)ibew.org · Other
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination TX20260149 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
- Aligned Data Centers (opens in a new tab)aligneddc.com · Press release
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