Project Washington
Starwood Digital Ventures' proposed 6-million-square-foot data center campus near Delaware City, New Castle County, Delaware. In October 2025 Starwood signed a project labor agreement with 20 local unions, negotiated with the Delaware Building Trades. Delaware's environmental regulator rejected the project under the Coastal Zone Act in February 2026, a state board upheld the decision, and in August 2026 Starwood withdrew its court appeal, saying the project won't proceed under its current plan.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 1,200 MW
- Estimated cost
- Not available
- Building size
- 6,000,000 sq ft
- Construction start
- Not available
- Expected completion
- Not available
- Last verified
- Not yet re-verified
Companies and roles
- Developer
Unions
- Delaware Building Trades · Project labor agreement · Multiple trades
- International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) · Project labor agreement · Bricklayers
- SMART (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers) · Project labor agreement · Sheet metal & HVAC
- United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers · Project labor agreement · Roofers
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)
- Boilermakers
- Painters
- Plasterers & cement masons
- Elevator constructors
Prevailing wages (government minimums)
Minimum hourly pay the U.S. Department of Labor sets for federally funded building work in New Castle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElectriciansUnion rate · IBEW Local 313 · effective Jun 3, 2024ELECTRICIANOvertime 1.5× $71.25 · Double time 2× $95.00 · Benefits /hr $35.93 | $47.50 | $71.25 | $95.00 | $35.93 | $83.43 |
| Plumbers & pipefittersUnion rate · Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 74 · effective Sep 30, 2024PIPEFITTER: INCLUDES HVAC PIPE INSTALLATION AND EXCLUDES INDUSTRIAL WORKOvertime 1.5× $62.03 · Double time 2× $82.70 · Benefits /hr $38.19 | $41.35 | $62.03 | $82.70 | $38.19 | $79.54 |
| IronworkersUnion rate · Iron Workers Local 451 · effective Jul 1, 2024IRONWORKER: ORNAMENTAL, REINFORCING, AND STRUCTURALOvertime 1.5× $61.65 · Double time 2× $82.20 · Benefits /hr $38.23 | $41.10 | $61.65 | $82.20 | $38.23 | $79.33 |
| Sheet metal & HVACUnion rate · Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 · effective Jul 1, 2020SHEET METAL WORKER (INCLUDES HVAC DUCT INSTALLATION)Overtime 1.5× $50.45 · Double time 2× $67.26 · Benefits /hr $40.60 | $33.63 | $50.45 | $67.26 | $40.60 | $74.23 |
| LaborersUnion rate · Laborers Local 199 · effective Feb 1, 2024LABORER: BACKFILLER, COMMON OR GENERAL, JACK HAMMER, MASON TENDER - BRICK, PIPELAYER, S…Overtime 1.5× $44.18 · Double time 2× $58.90 · Benefits /hr $25.70 | $29.45 | $44.18 | $58.90 | $25.70 | $55.15 |
| Operating engineers (heavy equipment)Union rate · Operating Engineers Local 542 · effective May 1, 2025POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: FORKLIFTOvertime 1.5× $73.10 · Double time 2× $97.46 · Benefits /hr $32.23 | $48.73 | $73.10 | $97.46 | $32.23 | $80.96 |
| CarpentersUnion rate · Carpenters Local 173 · effective May 1, 2025CARPENTEROvertime 1.5× $57.41 · Double time 2× $76.54 · Benefits /hr $25.34 | $38.27 | $57.41 | $76.54 | $25.34 | $63.61 |
| BoilermakersUnion rate · Boilermakers Local 13 · effective Jan 1, 2025BOILERMAKEROvertime 1.5× $82.50 · Double time 2× $110.00 · Benefits /hr $35.48 | $55.00 | $82.50 | $110.00 | $35.48 | $90.48 |
| PaintersNon-union survey rate · effective Jan 20, 2016 · old ratePAINTER (BRUSH AND ROLLER)Overtime 1.5× $58.20 · Double time 2× $77.60 · Benefits /hr $0.91 | $38.80 | $58.20 | $77.60 | $0.91 | $39.71 |
| Plasterers & cement masonsUnion rate · Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 592 · effective May 1, 2025CEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHEROvertime 1.5× $62.54 · Double time 2× $83.38 · Benefits /hr $27.28 | $41.69 | $62.54 | $83.38 | $27.28 | $68.97 |
| RoofersNon-union survey rate · effective Jan 20, 2016 · old rateROOFER, EXCLUDES INSTALLATION OF METAL ROOFSOvertime 1.5× $41.97 · Double time 2× $55.96 · Benefits /hr $27.90 | $27.98 | $41.97 | $55.96 | $27.90 | $55.88 |
| Elevator constructorsUnion rate · Elevator Constructors Local 5 · effective Jan 1, 2025ELEVATOR MECHANICOvertime 1.5× $107.78 · Double time 2× $143.70 · Benefits /hr $38.44 | $71.85 | $107.78 | $143.70 | $38.44 | $110.29 |
- 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 DE20260008 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public sources:
- Spotlight Delaware (opens in a new tab)spotlightdelaware.org · News
- Delaware Public Media (opens in a new tab)delawarepublic.org · News
- WHYY (opens in a new tab)whyy.org · News
- Spotlight Delaware (via States Newsroom) (opens in a new tab)newsfromthestates.com · News
- IBEW inside jurisdiction map (DE) (opens in a new tab)ibew.org · Other
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination DE20260008 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
- Baxtel (tracker) (opens in a new tab)baxtel.com · Other
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