Carrier to put $600 million into Fort Worth chiller plant as data centers drive record backlog

Carrier announced the project on October 22 and tied it to record backlog in its commercial HVAC business, driven by data centers, health care, education and industrial customers. The plant will make commercial chillers, both air-cooled and water-cooled, and house engineering labs. Brianna Brown, who is assistant director of economic development for Fort Worth, told a council work session in August that it would be Carrier's biggest investment ever in a single facility, Construction Dive reported.

A state filing shows the scope. A project filed on October 14 with the state's Department of Licensing and Regulation under the name Project Jay, with Carrier in the title, covers selective demolition and upgrades in roughly 600,000 square feet inside the 1.2 million square foot Alliance Westport 12 building at 1501 Distribution Drive, NTX Front Porch reported. The work includes offices, mezzanines and stairs, an elevator, envelope upgrades and utility infrastructure for three production lines. The filing lists a $500 million cost, a December 1, 2026, start and completion on September 1, 2027.

A Carrier spokesperson told Construction Dive that Fort Worth signed off on $10.9 million in seven-year tax abatements through the Texas Enterprise Zone Program. Terms presented to the council in August set minimums of $433.8 million in investment by December 31, 2028, and 495 full-time positions by December 31, 2029, at an average salary of at least $75,000, plus a goal of sending 30% of real property improvement costs to small businesses. Carrier's renderings credit Summit Consultants, Gray AES and Hillwood. No builder has been announced.