DATA CENTER RADAR · Published Oct 9, 2026 · Role and capacity sources reviewed Oct 9, 2026 · Power workflow reviewed Oct 11, 2026 · Research workflow updated Oct 14, 2026
A contractor name describes a reported participant. A capacity figure describes a reported scale. To turn either into a useful pursuit decision, establish the source date, the scope or phase, and what the evidence actually confirms.
Data Center Radar's methodology explains the research boundaries: public previews show location, a headline, and recorded stage; membership adds available participant information, specifications, source collections, and timelines. Research depth varies. A source associated with one field does not verify every other claim in the record.
Read stage, participants, and scale together
The recorded stage is a research classification, not a guaranteed schedule. A named contractor can appear before construction begins. A campus can carry a large proposed capacity while approvals or utility commitments remain unresolved.
Keep three questions separate: what development is documented, who is named for which work, and what the capacity measures. None of those answers alone establishes an open buying opportunity.
Establish the contractor's role and scope
An owner-side construction manager, a general contractor, a designer, and an electrical trade partner have different responsibilities. Do not assume that every firm attached to a record holds the construction contract or buys the package you supply.
| Named role | What to check in the source |
|---|---|
| Owner or developer | The named entity's relationship to the site and project phase |
| General contractor | Whether the source documents selection, award, or actual work, and which buildings it covers |
| Construction manager | Employer, owner-representative or contractor role, and delegated responsibilities |
| Designer or engineer | Design scope, phase, and whether construction procurement is separately identified |
| Trade contractor | Specific mechanical, electrical, civil, or other package, and current award evidence |
DPR's December 13, 2024 Richland Parish announcement illustrates why scope matters: it described four data halls and a network building within a larger Meta campus, named mechanical and electrical partners, and said further work packages would be procured. That dated announcement establishes the announced scope then; it is not a current list of available packages.
For additional context, read DPR's project record guide and what a construction manager does.
What a blank or named field means
A blank or unknown entry means the available research does not establish the answer. It does not prove that no contractor is engaged. Conversely, a named firm does not by itself establish a signed contract, a notice to proceed, current staffing, or purchasing authority.
Check whether the source names a joint venture, one member of a team, a consultant, or a contractor for a single phase. Preserve that distinction in your own notes. If sources disagree, compare their dates and scopes and keep the conflict visible rather than silently choosing a name.
Capacity needs a measurement point and a phase
Electrical capacity is commonly stated in megawatts. One gigawatt equals 1,000 megawatts. The unit conversion does not tell you whether the figure is IT load, total facility demand, utility service, or an announced campus ambition.
| Capacity description | What it can describe | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| IT capacity | Power associated with computing equipment | Total site demand or utility delivery date |
| Facility or site load | Demand including supporting systems, as defined by the source | A directly comparable IT figure |
| Utility service capacity | A stated connection or supply arrangement | That all capacity is energized or available immediately |
| Campus build-out | A proposed total across buildings or phases | Completed or commissioned capacity today |
| Generator nameplate rating | Rating of standby equipment | Additional usable IT capacity to add to utility supply |
If the original source says only “100 MW,” keep the measurement basis unresolved. Do not convert it to IT capacity using an assumed efficiency ratio. Similarly, square footage, acreage, and investment describe other dimensions of scale; they cannot substitute for a supported electrical capacity figure.
How to check data center power readiness
Once the MW basis is clear, ask what supply milestone is documented for the building or phase. A request, a preliminary plan, infrastructure work and energized service answer different questions. Use the checks below to identify the next missing evidence, rather than assigning a readiness label from a capacity headline.
| Evidence in hand | What to establish next | Keep separate |
|---|---|---|
| Requested load | Serving utility, site, building, load basis, ramp schedule and dated request reference | Customer demand and a confirmed supply arrangement |
| Preliminary power plan or will-serve letter | Exact wording, scope, conditions, validity and the responsible utility's next step | Preliminary feasibility and installed, energized service |
| Documented service milestone | Phase covered, initial and later supply, prerequisites, responsible party, and whether the date is requested, estimated or committed | An initial connection and the full campus build-out |
| Infrastructure approval or construction | Which line, substation or other work is covered; approval conditions and dated progress at that scope | Utility infrastructure work and construction of a data-center building |
| Energization or operational update | Source date, exact service or building scope, remaining testing and acceptance, and later phases still outstanding | Available service, accepted facility systems and actual IT operation |
Dominion Energy's Virginia data-center request guidance describes site plans, load letters and load ramp schedules, and says service can arrive in stages while a final power plan is built. It also describes preliminary site evaluation and possible will-serve letters. Confirm service territory and the project's own plan; these descriptions do not establish any particular site's supplied power.
Georgia Power's general new-connection guide separates planning and agreements, customer site readiness, electrical construction and wiring approval before connection. It is a general service process, not a data-center capacity allocation or a promised large-load schedule. Use the serving utility's requirements for the actual site.
For each claim, retain the source URL and date, site or phase, measurement basis, date type, unresolved prerequisite and party responsible for the next answer. If no dependable source establishes delivery, keep it unknown. The timeline comparison guide helps distinguish a revised forecast from a different milestone; the permit-check workflow helps match approvals to their work scope.
Before pursuing an electrical or equipment package, confirm who buys it and the documented procurement route. A utility plan or construction update does not confirm an open bid or purchasing authority.
Power workflow and the two utility process pages checked October 11, 2026. This research checklist is not a universal utility sequence or a verification of individual project records. Earlier role and capacity source checks remain dated separately.
Check the data center procurement route before pursuing a package
A named contractor gives you a participant to research. Before preparing an estimate, establish the building or phase, the work package, who purchases it and whether a documented route is still open. A contractor-selection announcement, permit or construction update cannot answer all of those questions.
The AIA and AGC's project-delivery primer explains that contractual roles vary with the delivery method. It distinguishes a construction manager acting as adviser from one taking construction risk. Use that general construction context to ask about purchasing authority; a job title alone does not identify the buyer of your package.
| Evidence in hand | Next question | Keep unresolved until supported |
|---|---|---|
| Reported contractor or team | What role, building, phase and contract scope does the dated source identify? | Authority to buy this package or invite your firm |
| Preconstruction appointment | Who handles procurement now, and what award or authorization covers later construction? | A construction award or an open trade package |
| Solicitation or invitation | Confirm its reference, package, current instructions, eligibility, submission route, closing date and any amendments. | Whether you can participate based on an old notice or forwarded summary |
| Owner-furnished or already ordered equipment | Which supply scope is committed, and who purchases installation, controls or testing? | Availability of related work or another phase |
| Award or selected bidder | Which purchaser, package and phase are covered, and what dated evidence supports the decision? | Award of other packages or completion of the work |
Keep a short pursuit record
For each package, record: site/building/phase; scope; reported participant and role; purchasing party; source URL and date; route or invitation reference; conditions and deadline; next question; date checked. Leave unsupported entries unknown. Confirm amendments with the responsible party before relying on a saved closing date.
Check the approval and permit scope separately, including later hearings, withdrawals or conditions affecting the proposed work. Use the equipment checklist for delivery commitments and the timeline guide for milestone comparisons. An available package and readiness to install it are separate questions.
Procurement checklist and AIA/AGC primer checked October 13, 2026. This is a research workflow, not a list of open bids or evidence of a particular project's buying authority.
Avoid counting the same campus twice
Separate phases may have separate records. A phase figure may also sit inside a larger campus total. Before adding capacity across a pipeline, reconcile the campus, building, phase, measurement basis, and source date. Do not add an ultimate build-out total to its component phases.
Radar's coverage guide explains the distinction between tracked records and public profiles. The statistics page provides current totals. Those totals describe the catalog rather than a national industry census.
A practical reading workflow
- Open the project and identify the site or phase and recorded stage.
- Distinguish the base research review date, documented event date, and evidence-check date.
- Open the source for each contractor or capacity claim you intend to use.
- Record the named firm's role and exact scope; distinguish announced selection from documented award or work.
- Record the capacity unit, measurement basis, phase, and whether it is proposed, connected, or operating.
- Check for overlapping campus records and conflicting evidence before comparing or aggregating.
- Confirm the procurement route with the project team before committing pursuit or estimating time.
A refreshed page or new briefing date does not create a new project milestone. If a field conflicts with newer evidence, send the project name or record ID and the source URL to support@datacenterradar.com.
Write a contractor or capacity claim readers can check
Use the following blank patterns for a research note. Fill only the parts supported by the original document; leave the rest unknown. These patterns contain no project facts.
- Participant: [Publisher] reported [firm] as [role] for [building, phase and scope] in [dated document and reference]. Purchasing responsibility for [package] is [documented by a separate source / unresolved].
- Capacity: [Publisher] described [value and unit] as [measurement basis] for [site or phase], with [proposed, contracted or operating status] as of [source date]. [Delivery or energization question] remains [supported by named evidence / unresolved].
Do not fill a missing measurement basis from an assumed efficiency ratio, or promote a named participant into the buyer of a package. Link to the power evidence checklist and procurement checks when those are the unanswered questions. Cite the underlying source alongside this explanatory method.
Use this guide as a source
Use this guide to explain participant roles, purchasing responsibility and the scope of a capacity figure. The checklists are Data Center Radar's editorial research method. They do not establish a particular project's current status or a complete inventory of its permissions.
Reference: Data Center Radar. How to read data center project contractor fields and capacity. Research workflow updated October 14, 2026. Include the date you accessed the page and link to the relevant section.
For a project claim, cite its underlying document as well: publisher or authority, document title and date, page or reference, exact site or phase, and the date checked. Keep a forecast, recorded decision and completed work distinct. State any conditions, later action or unresolved conflict that changes the meaning.
Public previews and member research
The public directory is a starting point for location and stage research. Membership adds available developers, contractors, capacity and investment detail, and supporting source collections. Access to a field does not guarantee that its value is known or independently verified. The membership page includes a clearly labeled fictional example showing how unknowns remain visible.
For bid preparation, connect your reading to the equipment lead-time guide. A capacity announcement alone does not establish equipment allocation or usable power.
Frequently asked questions
Does a named general contractor mean construction has started?
No. Check the named scope, award evidence, and dated construction milestone separately.
Can I compare two projects with the same MW figure?
Only after reconciling their measurement basis, phase, and delivery status. An ultimate campus plan and an operating building are different quantities even when the numbers match.
Does membership fill every unknown field?
Available detail varies by project. An unknown should remain an unknown until supporting evidence establishes it.