Big Sky Campus
Quantica Infrastructure's planned data center campus on about 5,000 acres near Broadview, Montana, roughly 30 miles north of Billings, with 12 to 16 buildings and 1,100 MW of near-term power (possibly up to 7,000 MW). In June 2026 Quantica signed a memorandum of understanding with the Southeastern Montana Building and Construction Trades Council; the MOU has not been made public.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 1,100 MW
- Estimated cost
- Not available
- Building size
- Not available
- Construction start
- 2026Could begin (company plan)
- Expected completion
- 2029First building; earlier reports said 2028
- Last verified
- Not yet re-verified
Companies and roles
- Developer
Unions
- Southeastern Montana Building and Construction Trades Council · Union pledge · Multiple trades
Locals with jurisdiction over this site
Local with jurisdiction over this site (not confirmed on the job)
- Electricians
- Plumbers & pipefitters
- Ironworkers
- Sheet metal & HVAC
- Laborers
- Operating engineers (heavy equipment)
- Carpenters
- Boilermakers
- Insulators
- Painters
- Roofers
- Elevator constructors
Prevailing wages (government minimums)
Minimum hourly pay the U.S. Department of Labor sets for federally funded building work in this project's county (Montana), 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 Jan 4, 2011 · old rateELECTRICIANOvertime 1.5× $42.23 · Double time 2× $56.30 · Benefits /hr $10.59 | $28.15 | $42.23 | $56.30 | $10.59 | $38.74 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 30 · effective Sep 1, 2024PIPEFITTER, EXCLUDES HVAC PIPE INSTALLATIONOvertime 1.5× $66.53 · Double time 2× $88.70 · Benefits /hr $21.87 | $44.35 | $66.53 | $88.70 | $21.87 | $66.22 |
| IronworkersUnion rate · Iron Workers Local 732 · effective Jun 1, 2024IRONWORKER, STRUCTURAL, REINFORCING AND ORNAMENTALOvertime 1.5× $55.25 · Double time 2× $73.66 · Benefits /hr $25.30 | $36.83 | $55.25 | $73.66 | $25.30 | $62.13 |
| Sheet metal & HVACUnion rate · Sheet Metal Workers Local 103 · effective Jul 1, 2025SHEET METAL WORKER (HVAC DUCT AND SYSTEM INSTALLATION ONLY)Overtime 1.5× $60.11 · Double time 2× $80.14 · Benefits /hr $22.07 | $40.07 | $60.11 | $80.14 | $22.07 | $62.14 |
| LaborersUnion rate · Laborers Local 1686 · effective May 1, 2021LABORER, ZONE 1: COMMON OR GENERALOvertime 1.5× $34.58 · Double time 2× $46.10 · Benefits /hr $12.72 | $23.05 | $34.58 | $46.10 | $12.72 | $35.77 |
| Operating engineers (heavy equipment)Union rate · Operating Engineers Local 400 · effective May 1, 2025POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: ZONE 1: (1) CRANE, FORKLIFT, FRONT END LOADEROvertime 1.5× $47.27 · Double time 2× $63.02 · Benefits /hr $16.20 | $31.51 | $47.27 | $63.02 | $16.20 | $47.71 |
| CarpentersUnion rate · Carpenters Local 82 · effective Jun 1, 2025CARPENTER: INCLUDING ACOUSTICAL CEILING INSTALLATION, FORMWORK, AND DRYWALL HANGINGOvertime 1.5× $48.08 · Double time 2× $64.10 · Benefits /hr $15.02 | $32.05 | $48.08 | $64.10 | $15.02 | $47.07 |
| BoilermakersUnion rate · Boilermakers Local 11 · effective Jan 1, 2025BOILERMAKEROvertime 1.5× $58.13 · Double time 2× $77.50 · Benefits /hr $32.31 | $38.75 | $58.13 | $77.50 | $32.31 | $71.06 |
| InsulatorsUnion rate · Heat and Frost Insulators Local 82 · effective Aug 1, 2024HEAT AND FROST INSULATOROvertime 1.5× $65.72 · Double time 2× $87.62 · Benefits /hr $21.87 | $43.81 | $65.72 | $87.62 | $21.87 | $65.68 |
| PaintersUnion rate · Painters Local 1922 · effective Nov 1, 2021PAINTER: BRUSH AND SPRAYOvertime 1.5× $39.59 · Double time 2× $52.78 · Benefits /hr $19.39 | $26.39 | $39.59 | $52.78 | $19.39 | $45.78 |
| BricklayersNon-union survey rate · effective Jan 4, 2011 · old rateBRICKLAYEROvertime 1.5× $33.75 · Double time 2× $45.00 · Benefits /hr $6.01 | $22.50 | $33.75 | $45.00 | $6.01 | $28.51 |
| RoofersUnion rate · Roofers Local 229 · effective May 1, 2023ROOFEROvertime 1.5× $36.00 · Double time 2× $48.00 · Benefits /hr $9.16 | $24.00 | $36.00 | $48.00 | $9.16 | $33.16 |
| Elevator constructorsUnion rate · Elevator Constructors Local 19 · effective Jan 1, 2025ELEVATOR MECHANICOvertime 1.5× $101.42 · Double time 2× $135.22 · Benefits /hr $38.44 | $67.61 | $101.42 | $135.22 | $38.44 | $106.05 |
- 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 MT20260064 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public sources:
- Montana Free Press (opens in a new tab)montanafreepress.org · News
- IBEW inside jurisdiction map (MT) (opens in a new tab)ibew.org · Other
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination MT20260064 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
- NBC Montana (opens in a new tab)nbcmontana.com · News
- KULR-8 (opens in a new tab)kulr8.com · News
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