Stargate Abilene
Stargate campus in Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, owned by OpenAI and Oracle and developed by Crusoe and Lancium. Planned capacity is about 1,200 MW and the campus is partially operational. No union agreement was found in the sources reviewed.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 1,200 MW
- Estimated cost
- $15,000,000,000Approximate total investment (WSJ via TechRepublic)
- Building size
- 4,000,000 sq ftCampus total
- Construction start
- 2024First phase (two buildings)
- Expected completion
- 2026Full campus (eight buildings), mid-2026
- Last verified
- Not yet re-verified
Companies and roles
- General contractor
- Subcontractor
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
- Operating engineers (heavy equipment)
- Boilermakers
Prevailing wages (government minimums)
Minimum hourly pay the U.S. Department of Labor sets for federally funded building work in Taylor 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 681 · effective Dec 1, 2023ELECTRICIAN (EXCLUDES LOW VOLTAGE WIRING)Overtime 1.5× $42.66 · Double time 2× $56.88 · Benefits /hr $11.10 | $28.44 | $42.66 | $56.88 | $11.10 | $39.54 |
| 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 |
| IronworkersNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateIRONWORKER, STRUCTURALOvertime 1.5× $33.24 · Double time 2× $44.32 · Benefits /hr $5.26 | $22.16 | $33.24 | $44.32 | $5.26 | $27.42 |
| Sheet metal & HVACNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateSHEET METAL WORKER, EXCLUDES HVAC DUCT INSTALLATIONOvertime 1.5× $34.10 · Double time 2× $45.46 · Benefits /hr $7.52 | $22.73 | $34.10 | $45.46 | $7.52 | $30.25 |
| LaborersNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateLABORER: COMMON OR GENERALOvertime 1.5× $17.84 · Double time 2× $23.78 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $11.89 | $17.84 | $23.78 | $0.00 | $11.89 |
| Operating engineers (heavy equipment)Union rate · Operating Engineers Local 178 · effective Jun 1, 2020POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR ((3) HYDRAULIC CRANES 59 TONS AND UNDER)Overtime 1.5× $48.53 · Double time 2× $64.70 · Benefits /hr $13.10 | $32.35 | $48.53 | $64.70 | $13.10 | $45.45 |
| CarpentersNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateCARPENTEROvertime 1.5× $19.07 · Double time 2× $25.42 · Benefits /hr $0.66 | $12.71 | $19.07 | $25.42 | $0.66 | $13.37 |
| 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 |
| InsulatorsNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateINSULATOR - MECHANICAL (DUCT, PIPE & MECHANICAL SYSTEM INSULATION)Overtime 1.5× $29.66 · Double time 2× $39.54 · Benefits /hr $7.13 | $19.77 | $29.66 | $39.54 | $7.13 | $26.90 |
| PaintersNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old ratePAINTER: BRUSH, ROLLER, AND SPRAYOvertime 1.5× $21.68 · Double time 2× $28.90 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $14.45 | $21.68 | $28.90 | $0.00 | $14.45 |
| BricklayersNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateBRICKLAYEROvertime 1.5× $30.06 · Double time 2× $40.08 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $20.04 | $30.06 | $40.08 | $0.00 | $20.04 |
| Plasterers & cement masonsNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateCEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHEROvertime 1.5× $22.98 · Double time 2× $30.64 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $15.32 | $22.98 | $30.64 | $0.00 | $15.32 |
| RoofersNon-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateROOFEROvertime 1.5× $20.63 · Double time 2× $27.50 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $13.75 | $20.63 | $27.50 | $0.00 | $13.75 |
| Teamsters (drivers)Non-union survey rate · effective Jul 21, 2014 · old rateTRUCK DRIVER: DUMP TRUCKOvertime 1.5× $18.59 · Double time 2× $24.78 · Benefits /hr $1.18 | $12.39 | $18.59 | $24.78 | $1.18 | $13.57 |
- 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 TX20260278 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
Per diem reported
Typical per diem reported · Abilene area
$150–$158 /day
Range $40–$178 · 5 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 |
|---|---|
| Mech/elec technicians, laborers, 1st-2nd yr electrical and HVAC apprenticesJob listing · All In One Building Solutions · Facebook (company page) · Oct 9, 2026 | $40 |
| TDLR licensed journeyman electricianJob listing · Finish Line Talent · Facebook (company page) · Sep 24, 2026 | $158 |
| CarpenterJob listing · PCL Energy · Energy Job Shop · View post (opens in a new tab) | $178 |
| Fiber splicer (Tech 1 / Tech 2)Worker report · TEKsystems (per email screenshot) · Facebook (personal post) · May 21, 2026 | $150 |
| Fiber optic splicerWorker report · Facebook (personal post) · Nov 28, 2025 | $150 |
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:
- Equipment World (opens in a new tab)equipmentworld.com · News
- Texas Standard (opens in a new tab)texasstandard.org · News
- IBEW inside jurisdiction map (TX) (opens in a new tab)ibew.org · Other
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination TX20260278 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
- SDxCentral (opens in a new tab)sdxcentral.com · News
- Insurance Journal (Texas Tribune) (opens in a new tab)insurancejournal.com · News
- Construction Digest (opens in a new tab)acppubs.com · News
- DMC Education (blog) (opens in a new tab)dmc-education.com · Other
- TechRepublic (opens in a new tab)techrepublic.com · News
- Connect CRE (opens in a new tab)connectcre.com · News
- Data Center Map (tracker) (opens in a new tab)datacentermap.com · Other
- Construction Equipment Guide (opens in a new tab)constructionequipmentguide.com · News
- Construction Digest (opens in a new tab)acppubs.com · News
Found an error on this page? Report a correction (opens in a new tab)