Leading Data Center Provider Turns to Substations to Solve Fast Expansion Needs

Locating a new data center 10 or 20 years ago was a relatively easy task. Land was plentiful, and power and water resources were generally available in most portions of the country. Fast forward to today, and the picture has flipped 180 degrees. Many power utilities say they don’t have the necessary critical bulk infrastructure, and data center resource needs – power and water -- have grown 100-fold or more.

To get some perspective, 20 years ago, a data center that needed 1 megawatt of power was considered large. Within 10 years, that had grown 10-fold to about 10MW. Today, the power demands are exceedingly greater. It is not unusual for a hyperscale data center campus development to require 400MW to 2 gigawatts. Due to the enormous size of data center campuses, utilities often say it will be five years or more before they can get the proper circuits and substations for the proposed location.

This is why one of the world's top co-location companies in the data center industry recognized the need for a solution that would enable them to expand their operations quickly, while ensuring that their infrastructure needs were met. Black & Veatch has been selected to construct substations at six of the global firm’s expanding data center locations. The advantage to the owner is they can now better control their schedule and costs, and realize their goals faster than they would have waiting.

For this data center solutions provider, the focus is on building electrical substations that the client will own, allowing local utilities to directly connect with transmission lines. This will dramatically speed up the campus construction timeline, cutting it by one-half or more.

For data centers that have taken ownership of their substations, ensuring proper maintenance and monitoring of these assets becomes an essential requirement. The global data center client has entrusted Black & Veatch with their critical maintenance services, which includes round-the-clock remote monitoring, real-time diagnosis, and reporting of any potential issues with their substations. This proactive approach will help to identify and resolve any anomalies in performance data before they escalate into significant problems or outages. The advanced analytic tools will not only detect issues but also help prevent damage to crucial components, ultimately saving the company on hefty repair bills.

The modern landscape of data center development presents new challenges that require innovative solutions. As power and water resources become more scarce, companies must take proactive measures to secure their infrastructure needs. This co-location company has taken a bold step in building and operating their own substations at various locations, providing them with greater control and allowing them to stay ahead of the curve and realize their goals faster than ever before.

This article was originally published on bv.com.