Vantage Frontier (Stargate Shackelford)
Vantage Data Centers' $25 billion AI campus in Shackelford County, Texas, with about 1,400 MW of planned capacity and 3.7 million square feet. Oracle and OpenAI are the tenants and Kiewit is the design firm. It is registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation as TABS2026024102.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 1,400 MW
- Estimated cost
- $25,000,000,000
- Building size
- 3,700,000 sq ft
- Construction start
- 2025Under way at the August 2025 announcement
- Expected completion
- 2026First building, second half of 2026; Building 8 by April 18, 2028
- Filing ID
- TABS2026024102
- Last verified
- Not yet re-verified
Companies and roles
- Owner
- Design firm
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 Shackelford 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× $30.00 · Double time 2× $40.00 · Benefits /hr $3.11 | $20.00 | $30.00 | $40.00 | $3.11 | $23.11 |
| 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 WORKER, EXCLUDES HVAC DUCT INSTALLATIONOvertime 1.5× $20.46 · Double time 2× $27.28 · Benefits /hr $1.80 | $13.64 | $20.46 | $27.28 | $1.80 | $15.44 |
| 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 rateCARPENTER, INCLUDES ACOUSTICAL CEILING INSTALLATION, DRYWALL HANGING, AND METAL STUD IN…Overtime 1.5× $19.70 · Double time 2× $26.26 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $13.13 | $19.70 | $26.26 | $0.00 | $13.13 |
| BoilermakersUnion rate · Boilermakers Local 592 · 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 21 · effective Jun 1, 2025ASBESTOS WORKER/HEAT & FROST INSULATOROvertime 1.5× $49.85 · Double time 2× $66.46 · Benefits /hr $7.52 | $33.23 | $49.85 | $66.46 | $7.52 | $40.75 |
| 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× $29.51 · Double time 2× $39.34 · Benefits /hr $0.00 | $19.67 | $29.51 | $39.34 | $0.00 | $19.67 |
| 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 |
| 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 TX20260180 (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:
- Pipeline & Gas Journal (opens in a new tab)pgjonline.com · News
- Zabalist (opens in a new tab)zabalist.com · Other
- IBEW inside jurisdiction map (TX) (opens in a new tab)ibew.org · Other
- U.S. Department of Labor wage determination TX20260180 (SAM.gov) (opens in a new tab)sam.gov · Government filing
- Vantage Data Centers (republished) (opens in a new tab)windpress.info · Press release
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (opens in a new tab)tdlr.texas.gov · Government filing
- Zabalist (opens in a new tab)zabalist.com · Other
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