Data Centre World Paris takes place on 18 and 19 November 2026 at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles. Builders, operators, equipment makers and investors will be there. It is the right time to ask the questions that decide a project's real timeline: grid connection and high-voltage equipment.

TO BUILDERS AND INTEGRATORS

1. Which connection date does your schedule assume, and which document is it based on? A date taken from an exploratory study is not worth a date set in a connection agreement.

2. Who orders the transformers, and when? From major makers, an order placed today rarely arrives before 2030: see transformer lead times 2026.

3. Does your turnkey offer include the substation and the connection? Scope often stops at the property line.

TO OPERATORS AND COLOCATION PROVIDERS

4. Is the capacity offered available today, or reserved for later? Reserved and firm capacity are not the same.

5. In steps or all at once? Many connection agreements provide a gradual ramp-up.

TO EQUIPMENT MAKERS

6. What firm lead time for my specification, not an average? Lead times vary widely with rating and voltage.

7. Is the slot reserved at signature or at down payment?

TO BRIDGING POWER SUPPLIERS

8. Generators, batteries or gas while waiting for the grid: which permit, and for how long? A temporary solution has its own lead times and permits.

TO EVERYONE

9. Which comparable references in France, with what real time from order to commissioning?

10. What in your schedule depends on RTE or Enedis? No supplier can commit on behalf of the grid operator.

ANSWERS THAT SHOULD RAISE A FLAG

A guaranteed connection date. "Available" capacity with no document behind it. An equipment lead time given without a specification. A "we handle everything" that does not say who carries the connection risk. See also the grid connection glossary.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When and where is Data Centre World Paris 2026?

On 18 and 19 November 2026, at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles.

What is the single most important question to ask at a show?

Which document the announced connection date rests on: exploratory study, accepted PTF or signed agreement. That tells you whether the date is reliable.