Tesla Secures Local Tax Approvals for Proposed $10.1B Texas Solar Factory

Fort Bend County commissioners unanimously approved a package of local tax incentives for Tesla's proposed $10.1 billion solar cell and module factory. Internal filings for the initiative, dubbed "Project Crystal Sun," outline a $1.5 billion investment in real property and $8.6 billion in equipment on a 3,000-acre site near Needville, Texas. The proposed facility targets commercial operations by the first quarter of 2029 and projects 9,712 permanent jobs by 2033. The site selection remains unconfirmed, as Tesla told the Texas Comptroller it is weighing the Fort Bend location against one out-of-state rival and expects to decide before the end of 2026. "Work toward getting 100 GW a year of solar cell production, integrating across the entire supply chain from raw materials all the way to finished solar panels." — Elon Musk