Between the end of construction and the commercial opening of a data center lies a short, decisive period: testing, punch-list closure, acceptance, handover to the operations team. This is where many delays and costly failures hide. And the commercial operation date is when the asset starts earning.
GridReadiness offers an independent commissioning readiness review: checking, before it is too late, that the site is really ready to operate.
WHAT ONE MONTH OF DELAY COSTS
Order of magnitude of rent for a wholesale-leased data center, based on €100 to €150 per IT kW per month:
| IT capacity | Rent per month | Three months of delay |
|---|---|---|
| 10 MW | €1m to €1.5m | €3m to €4.5m |
| 50 MW | €5m to €7.5m | €15m to €22.5m |
| 120 MW | €12m to €18m | €36m to €54m |
Indicative estimate, excluding any contractual penalties to the tenant. Actual rents depend on market, density and contract.
WHAT GOES WRONG MOST OFTEN
The same situations recur from one project to the next:
Hundreds of open punch-list items a few weeks before opening
A site operated before formal acceptance
An operations team hired late, not yet trained, without procedures
No spare parts, tools or signed maintenance contracts
Unqualified monitoring alarms that nobody can yet interpret
THE FIVE LEVELS OF TESTING
Data center commissioning usually follows five levels, from simplest to most complete:
| Level | What is tested |
|---|---|
| 1 | Factory acceptance tests of main equipment (transformers, UPS, generators, switchboards) |
| 2 | On-site installation checks, conformity with drawings |
| 3 | Start-up of each piece of equipment, one by one |
| 4 | Functional tests of each system: power, cooling, fire safety, monitoring |
| 5 | Integrated systems test: the whole site under load, with failure simulations (grid outage, loss of a generator or chiller) |
Level 5 is the only one that proves the site meets its availability commitments. It is also the one most tempting to cut short when the schedule is tight.
WHAT WE CHECK
| Item | In practice |
|---|---|
| Testing | Run in sequence, complete, results compliant and documented |
| Punch list | How many items remain open, which are critical, with what closure plan |
| Operations team | Staffing, training, procedures, on-call in place before opening |
| Logistics | Spare parts, tools, stores, maintenance contracts |
| High voltage | Substation energisation, protection settings, transformer testing |
| Acceptance | Accept now, accept with reservations, or wait? |
WHEN TO ENGAGE
Ideally three to six months before the target operation date, with three checkpoints: before integrated testing, before acceptance, and before handover to operations. A one-off review is still possible later, for example at a lender's request before a drawdown.
DELIVERABLES
A readiness report with a clear opinion (ready, ready with conditions, not ready), the list of blocking issues, a dated action plan and a recommendation on acceptance. Follow-up until opening if needed.
WHO IT IS FOR
Lenders and funds, for whom the operation date drives revenue and repayment. Mid-size developers without a dedicated in-house team. Tenants who want to check the site will be ready on the promised date. See also our offer for lenders and funds.
OUR TEAM AND INDEPENDENCE RULE
The review is led by experts from the GridReadiness network who have led data center acceptance and commissioning, supported by our high-voltage experts. GridReadiness remains your single point of contact. We do not design, build or sell any equipment. When we support a developer, we do not review the same project for a lender. It extends our Readiness Manager role.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is data center commissioning?
The period between the end of construction and commercial opening: five levels of testing, punch-list closure, acceptance, handover to the operations team.
Why an independent review?
Because the contractor and the operator both have an interest in hitting the date. An outside view checks that the site is really ready, before problems surface in operation.
When should it be planned?
Ideally three to six months before the target operation date, before integrated testing and before acceptance.