By Ava Schwab | Reporter
Baylor recently announced a multi-million dollar, long-term partnership with Cordia, a national energy infrastructure company, as of this month.
The project will replace the university’s heating and cooling steam-reliant system, set in 1962, with a more efficient hot-water system. Anchored by a new central utility plant, it will reach around six miles of underground piping and restructure a part of Baylor many students are familiar with.
This upgrade will provide service to about 70% of the university’s buildings. According to Cordia’s press release, construction is expected to begin in 2027 and continue in phases until completion.
Patrick Carley, Baylor’s associate vice president for facilities and operations, said the aging system had reached the end of its life.
“Boilers, chillers, pumps, electric switches and the underground piping can no longer sustain it,” Carley said.
The project is “essential” to keeping Baylor’s operations running smoothly into the next generation, Carley said.
The existing Baylor Energy Complex, built more than 60 years ago, supplies the heating, air conditioning and hot water that keep the campus running; yet decades of patch repairs have left it fragile, according to Carley.
Leaks from underground pipes have become increasingly common, visible through bursts of steam that escape through manholes near Moody Library and the Baylor Sciences Building.
“[The steam leaks] are energy going up into the sky and not serving our buildings,” Carley said.
Carley added that his department has long worried about the system’s stability.
“If that plant were to go down in any significant way, the mission of Baylor could not continue,” Carley said.
Beyond the mechanical urgency, the Cordia deal reflects a moral and spiritual commitment embedded in the university’s strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds, released in 2024.
Baylor In Deeds defines Christian stewardship as the responsible use of resources to care for creation and sustain Baylor’s mission. For Carley, the new system puts that principle into practice.
“When we have a new plant in place, it will be extremely more efficient than what we’re operating today,” Carley said. “The amount of natural gas that will be used will go down significantly.”
Among students, the Cordia deal raises questions about financial tradeoffs. Brentwood, Tenn., senior Sadie Gower said she supports Baylor’s focus on sustainability, but doubts that environmental savings will fully offset the cost.
“You want to make sure the future savings outweigh the current cost,” Gower said. “From a financial perspective, I’m a little bit unsure that it’s going to be totally worth it.”
She compared Baylor’s project to Texas A&M University’s 2019 energy overhaul, which cost roughly $50 million but produced only about $2.5 million in energy savings to date.
“It will definitely save money,” Gower said. “But I’m not sure it will save enough to cover the initial cost.”
Gower also noted that infrastructure spending inevitably affects the university’s broader finances and potentially tuition. For Gower, the move says as much about Baylor’s identity as its budget. Despite questions about the price, she said it is inspiring that a Christian university in Texas is making a visible investment in clean energy.
“It’s really good that Baylor is prioritizing cleaner energy, especially in a place like Texas where oil and gas is so central,” Gower said.
She also connected the project to Baylor’s growing Research 1 classification, emphasizing that innovation in infrastructure mirrors innovation in academics and research.
“It’s reflective of our status as a research university, always trying to be more innovative,” Gower said.
Carley pointed out that the partnership reflects forward-looking stewardship — a balance of faith, finance and function.
“It’s exciting that we have the opportunity to modernize, build a new plant and have a very efficient and reliable system for the years ahead,” Carley said.
