A Texas county has put its offer on the table. Fort Bend County commissioners voted 4-0 on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026 to approve four agreements for Tesla's proposed $10 billion solar manufacturing plant, code-named "Project Crystal Sun," near Richmond, southwest of Houston, Electrek reported. Interim County Judge Daniel Wong abstained because his engineering firm has worked with Tesla.
The deal
- Years 1–10: a Chapter 312 abatement of 100% of county property tax on equipment and other tangible personal property. Land and buildings stay "fully taxable at all times."
- After that: a Chapter 381 agreement rebates 90% of county equipment taxes as an annual grant for 20 years. If Tesla averages at least 12,000 employees for two straight years in the first decade, the period stretches to 25 years, Electrek said.
- Inventory: handled through Port Freeport's Foreign-Trade Zone No. 149, with payments in lieu of taxes set at zero during the abatement.
- Commitments: start construction by June 30, 2027, begin commercial solar-cell production by Dec. 31, 2030, and invest $10 billion. The county's agreement cites about 9,712 employees at full build-out.
Houston Public Media said Tesla is eyeing more than 1,000 acres and that incentives could span 30 to 35 years in total, per county documents. Tesla still hasn't committed to building the plant in Texas. The county hasn't put a dollar figure on the total tax break.