$10 Billion Tesla Solar Factory Moves Closer to Texas

A proposed $10.1 billion Tesla solar manufacturing plant that could create nearly 10,000 jobs has cleared a key local hurdle in Fort Bend County, Texas.

The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District board unanimously approved a property-tax incentive agreement for the project this week. The proposed factory, known as Project Crystal Sun, would be built on roughly 3,050 acres southwest of Houston.

Tesla has not yet selected Texas for the project. The company is considering at least one competing site outside the state, and the Texas proposal still requires additional state approval.

If Fort Bend County is selected, Tesla expects to invest about $1.5 billion in buildings and real estate and $8.6 billion in manufacturing equipment. The plant would produce photovoltaic solar cells and modules.

The company projects 9,712 permanent full-time jobs once the operation reaches full capacity, along with about 1,147 construction jobs. Annual payroll could reach approximately $1.3 billion.

Construction would run through 2028, with commercial production targeted for the first quarter of 2029. Employment would increase in stages through 2033.

The proposed plant would go beyond assembling finished solar panels. Plans call for an integrated manufacturing operation covering several stages of production, including silicon ingots, wafers and solar cells before final modules are assembled.

The project would also add another major manufacturing investment to the Houston region, where Tesla already has a growing presence in Texas.

For now, Fort Bend County remains one of the sites competing for the factory. Tesla is expected to make its final location decision by the end of the year.

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