More data centers are now partly built in factories: white space, power modules and cooling arrive tested and are assembled on site. The time saved on site is real. But the energisation date depends on the longest path, and that is almost never the building.

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Xavier WatrelosXavier Watrelos
HV grid connection & industrial projects
Anis MokdedAnis Mokded
Design, commissioning & operationsAll situations →

WHAT PREFABRICATION SAVES

Published figures come mostly from manufacturers. In October 2026, Schneider Electric and Compass Datacenters published a study on a hyperscale campus: on-site installation time for a white space module fell from 75.5 hours to 15 hours, an 80% reduction, with assembly and testing done in the factory. Vertiv claims time savings of 40% or more against a traditional new build. These are manufacturer figures, to be checked on each project.

WHAT IT DOES NOT SAVE

Steps that do not depend on the building Grid connection: RTE offer in three months, then studies, works and sometimes a new substation, over several years for high power
Large power transformers: 48 to 60 months in Europe according to PTR, with no easing announced
Building permit and, depending on the installations, environmental procedures
Generators and high-voltage switchgear, also on long lead times

A building ready before the power is idle capital, sometimes with servers waiting. See stranded compute and transformer lead times in Europe.

USING MODULAR WELL

Start from the energisation date and order modules against a realistic connection date. Order long-lead items early: transformers, switchgear, generators. Phase with the grid: since August 2025, RTE allows a ramp-up request in four steps over ten years, which can follow the module rollout. Check standards: the reference design Schneider Electric announced in October 2026 is validated to ANSI standards, with IEC support planned; in France, compliance with European and French standards and grid operator acceptance must be checked before ordering. Plan acceptance: factory tests do not replace site tests and grid integration. See commissioning readiness.

WHAT WE DO

A combined schedule of grid connection, long-lead equipment and modules; module order timing; technical review of manufacturer offers; commissioning preparation. Best-efforts obligation.

WHO IS INVOLVED

Xavier Watrelos for grid connection, Anis Mokded for operations and commissioning, coordinated by Frédéric Arnaud. See also power strategy.

SOURCES

Schneider Electric, annonce RapidScale et étude menée avec Compass Datacenters, 21 octobre 2026 ; Vertiv, article sur les solutions modulaires préfabriquées, août 2023 ; PTR pour CWIEME, 17 mars 2026 ; délibération CRE n° 2025-193 du 23 juillet 2025 (procédure commune de RTE).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does a modular data center connect to the grid faster?

No. Prefabrication shortens site work, not grid connection, transformer or permit timelines. The energisation date follows the longest of these paths.

When should modules be ordered?

From a realistic energisation date, after securing long-lead equipment such as transformers.