Dive Brief:
- Tutor Perini subsidiary Fisk Electric won a $24 million contract to provide electrical services for a confidential data center customer in Houston, according to a Tuesday news release.
- Fisk’s scope will focus on prefabrication and assembly of modular containment systems, including liquid-cooled components and piping, for a new ground-up data center, according to the release. Fisk will construct the components at its new 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, also in Houston.
- The prefabrication market has seen increased demand, according to the release, due to the shortage of electricians nationally, particularly in data center construction. Offsite manufacturing helps ensure schedules stay on track, Tutor Perini said.
Dive Insight:
The Los Angeles-based megacontractor has historically focused on large civil infrastructure projects, including the Gateway tunnel project in New York and New Jersey and California’s high-speed rail project between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
On recent earnings calls, however, the firm has said it was exploring opportunities in the data center construction space, as the sector has boomed to represent a bigger share of large contractors’ backlogs.
Tutor Perini is not alone. Watsonville, California-based Granite Construction, another contractor focused on civil infrastructure, has also noted its growing exposure to data center projects. Its work includes site preparation and construction of access roads and parking lots at the facilities.
Fisk’s electrical construction work for the Houston data center is expected to begin this year, according to the release. The contractor anticipates substantial completion in the first quarter of 2027.
