On Nov. 28, Intel announced it selected Bechtel Corp. as the general contractor for the first phase of construction on its $100 billion semiconductor manufacturing campus in New Albany.
“Bechtel is proud to work with Intel and the people of Ohio to reclaim U.S. semiconductor manufacturing,” Catherine Hunt Ryan, President of Bechtel’s Manufacturing and Technology Business, said in a prepared statement. “A project of this complexity and magnitude – with an outsized impact on the community and economy – is the type of work Bechtel is uniquely positioned to deliver.”
The initial build is expected to create at least 7,000 union construction jobs under a National Construction Agreement. Among the jobs created will be those for members of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Craftworkers Local 50, plus travelers from other Insulator Unions from across the country.
With expertise in commercial and industrial Mechanical Insulation and Firestop, Local 50 members will complete critically important work to the project. Their work will play a pivotal role to ensure the efficiencies of the plant’s mechanical systems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, regulate the temperature inside the building. Other work will keep Intel employees safe and help create the dust-free environment needed for manufacturing microchips.
At a price tag of $20 billion, the first phase will include the construction of two semiconductor plants, known as fabs, along with office buildings, a parking garage, a wastewater treatment plant and other facilities.
Phases II, III and IV will each add two additional fabs. The overall project will likely add up to around $100 billion and result in eight total plants once complete. This work will create thousands of additional construction jobs, including more work for union Mechanical Insulators.
It is believed that once the plants are up and running, Local 50 members will be among the tradesmen and tradeswomen needed to work onsite for general maintenance purposes.
In a prepared statement on the company’s website, Intel Executive Vice President and Chief Global Operations Officer Keyvan Esfarjani said he was excited about the development.
“Best-in-class semiconductor facilities – or fabs – take three to five years to build,” he said. “And that’s after you have the land, the construction team and the vision for where that capacity is most needed.”
Betchel’s selection as the general contractor marks another milestone for Ohio’s largest construction project. The new facilities will produce Intel’s leading-edge chips, boosting production to meet the increasing demand for advanced semiconductors.
Intel leaders have pushed for an aggressive construction schedule that would allow for chip production to go online in 2025.