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Project Data centre, Frankfurt Frankfurt, 20 MW, 2 phases

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Operating standard

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Operational class: power and cooling redundancy
Staff cover
Security
Heat reuse
Standard in detail
Cooling fans and pumps
Customers to certify for
Certifications held
%
minutes
hours at peak
Running costs
€/MWh
€k/yr
€k/yr
% capex
% capex
€k/MW
%
€k/yr
% capex
€k/yr
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% of rent
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Concurrently maintainable: UPS N+1, generators N+1, distribution 2N, cooling N+1. Indicative EN 50600 availability class 3 (concurrently maintainable); classification needs the full design. The design PUE of 1.20 meets the legal limit of 1.20.

Time to overheat

  • This design
  • Reference build
  • Dashed: 32 °C (ASHRAE A1 allowable) and 35 °C
When one hall’s group of chillers in the first building fails at once (6 of its 23 duty units, against one spare) this design stays below 32 °C; the reference build stays below 32 °C. After a loss of utility power this design stays below 32 °C; the reference stays below 32 °C. One well-mixed air node with no hot spots, airflow paths or server throttling: it ranks options and predicts no particular hall, shows no continuous cooling, Tier or EN 50600 rating or ride-through time, and leaves the liquid loop out.

Staffing at 20.0 MW

Staffing at 20.0 MW
RoleFTEBasis
Senior technicians on the 24/7 rota (shift leads)4.02 on shift at all hours
Junior technicians on the 24/7 rota7.0Day staff
Site manager1.0Day staff
Facilities and maintenance manager0.5Shared across sites
Maintenance technicians (weekdays)4.0Day staff
Health, safety and compliance0.5Shared across sites
Regional manager0.25Shared across sites
In-house staff17.3Premium a year
Guarding (contract)2 posts, 24/7Premium a year

One post around the clock needs 5.4 FTE (8,760 h ÷ 1,720 h). The NOC and customer service are central functions, in overheads.

Operating plan, a stabilised year in today’s money

Operating plan, a stabilised year in today’s money
CostA yearPer MW built
Electricity, net of customers’ share billed at costPremiumPremium
StaffPremiumPremium
GuardingPremiumPremium
Maintenance contractsPremiumPremium
InsurancePremiumPremium
Property taxPremiumPremium
Ground rentPremiumPremium
Certifications and reportingPremiumPremium
OtherPremiumPremium
Bad debtPremiumPremium
Site running costsPremiumPremium
Central overheads: 6% of revenue, at least Premium (management, sales, NOC, customer service)PremiumPremium
Running costs before lifecyclePremiumPremium
Lifecycle reservePremiumPremium
Customers’ electricity, billed at costPremiumPremium

Check: listed operators spend about Premium per MW on all non-power site costs. Here: Premium per MW.

Market rules: Germany, Energy Efficiency Act s.11

Market rules: Germany, Energy Efficiency Act s.11
RuleThis designBasis
PUE at most 1.2 within two years of opening1.20Meets it
Reused heat: 10% from opening, 15% from July 2027, 20% from July 2028No heat exportFails unless an off-taker refuses an offer
Renewable electricity 100% from 2027 (draft amendment: 2030)100%Meets it

Thresholds for data centres opening from 1 July 2026; the June 2026 amendment is not yet law.

At full build and 60% load the site uses 126 GWh a year at a design PUE of 1.20: 41,600 t CO₂ at Germany’s grid average (330 g/kWh, location-based), 0 t with 100% renewable supply (market-based). Water: none for heat rejection with air-cooled plant. EU reporting duties apply from 500 kW.

Reference data for the site and the grid

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Grid and power

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