Before signing a land option, accepting a PTF or committing finance, these twenty questions help identify what will really decide the timeline of a data center project in France. They cover grid connection, land, permits, equipment, local context and finance. A question without a documented answer is a risk to price, not a detail.
GRID CONNECTION
1. Which connection document exists, and who holds it?: An exploratory study, an accepted PTF and a signed connection agreement commit very different things. Only the last two put the project in the queue.
2. What capacity, by when, and in which steps?: Full power often arrives in tranches. The revenue plan must follow the capacity steps, not the building schedule.
3. Which grid works does full capacity depend on?: Substation, line, upstream reinforcement: these works have their own timelines and their own permits.
4. Is the project holding its place in the queue?: Queue positions are reviewed every year against proof of progress, and RTE is preparing a move to "first ready, first served", expected from 2027.
5. HTA or HTB, and what capacity at the target substation?: Above roughly 40 MW, the connection is generally RTE's. Being close to a large line says nothing about available capacity.
LAND
6. What land control: promise, option or ownership?: Duration, conditions precedent and price must hold through the whole connection and permitting process.
7. Can the PTF follow the project if it is sold?: Since June 2024 a PTF can only be transferred within the same group: buying a project often means buying the company that holds it.
8. Are zoning and soil conditions compatible?: Local plan, easements, possible brownfield pollution: all hidden delays.
PERMITS
9. Which permitting regime applies?: Building permit, environmental authorisation for generators, public inquiry: each step has its own timeline.
10. Which environmental constraints on the site and the connection route?: Natura 2000, watercourses, natural risks, nearby Seveso sites can lengthen review or require studies.
11. Is the permitting timeline realistic, including RTE's own works?: Grid operator works have separate permits that can push back the full-power date.
EQUIPMENT
12. Are the transformers ordered, or at least reserved?: Lead times run from about 20 to over 60 months depending on the maker. Waiting for final design often costs a year.
13. What lead times for switchgear, generators and UPS?: HV and MV switchgear commonly takes 18 to 36 months.
14. Which standards and availability level are targeted?: NF C 13-100 and 13-200 for high voltage, EN 50600 or Tier depending on clients: to be set before ordering.
LOCAL CONTEXT
15. Where do the mayor and the inter-municipal body stand?: A project presented early, with verifiable commitments, faces late opposition less often.
16. Are there known challenges in the area?: Data centers, power lines, battery parks: a neighbouring residents' group may target the next project.
17. Are water, noise and heat commitments ready?: These are the first questions from residents and the public inquiry officer.
FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE
18. Does the financing plan hold if full power comes later?: A bridge solution or phased commissioning should be costed before the investment decision.
19. Are regulatory obligations anticipated?: EU reporting above 500 kW, the upcoming A–G rating, the tertiary decree and the BACS decree weigh on operations and asset value.
20. Is every seller claim backed by a document?: "Connected", "permitted", "available": without a dated, signed document, a claim remains an assumption.
WHAT NEXT?
If several answers are missing, our land pre-assessment reviews a site before you commit, our lender due diligence checks every claim before an investment decision, and our Readiness Manager then holds the project schedule. Terms are explained in our French grid connection glossary.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What should I ask before buying land for a data center in France?
Start with the grid: which connection document exists, what capacity by when, which grid works, what queue position. Then land, permits, equipment, local context and finance.
Does a signed PTF guarantee capacity?
No. It puts the project in the queue, but available power depends on grid works, capacity steps and keeping the queue position each year.