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Data centre site selection is a feasibility exercise: a parcel is viable only if power, connectivity, cooling resources, buildable land and approvals can be secured on a schedule that fits the project. Start by asking the electricity provider to confirm deliverable capacity and dates, then verify fibre routes, water and discharge against the intended cooling design, and the exact planning and environmental approval path. A nearby substation, fibre line, water main or industrial designation is a lead to investigate—not proof the site can be served or permitted.
The evidence and examples below are mainly U.S.-oriented, and rules vary by jurisdiction. Use this checklist to screen candidate sites, then confirm each finding with the responsible utility, network provider, water authority and local planning or environmental agencies.
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What should a data centre site-selection checklist prove?
It should show whether a site can support the project’s required capacity, operating date and growth phases—not merely whether infrastructure appears nearby. Record evidence, its source, any assumptions and the person or authority responsible for confirming it. Mark each item as confirmed, conditional, unverified or not feasible so an early conversation is not mistaken for a commitment.
Screen sites against the same criteria: firm power timing and phaseability; energy cost and reliability; grid or utility upgrades; usable land and expansion; diverse fibre routes and service; cooling-compatible water and wastewater; hazards and resilience; approvals and their schedule; and total project and operating cost. The right weighting depends on the workload, cooling system, risk tolerance and required operating date.
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In its October 2026 siting presentation, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) puts timing of full power ahead of price in its screening framework, followed by considerations including land and zoning, fibre, water, local approval and natural hazards. Treat this as a useful sequence for diligence, not a universal ranking or weighting formula. LBNL also estimates that about three-quarters of planned or land-held facilities in its commercial database eventually open, compared with about 89% of facilities under construction. Those are database-specific estimates, not a parcel’s probability of success: the analysis uses five snapshots from July 2024 to 16 September 2026, counts by facility, and notes that projects may disappear from the database or be marked cancelled. Read LBNL’s siting criteria and methodology.
Can the site get enough power, and when?
Power is often the first make-or-break question. ASHRAE advises: “Prioritize power availability and grid capacity early in site selection, as utility constraints and interconnection timelines are now primary drivers of feasibility and schedule risk.” A transmission line or substation nearby does not establish available capacity, a connection date or a cost. ASHRAE’s site-planning guidance and the Department of Energy (DOE) diligence questionnaire offer practical prompts for the discussion.
- Define the load. Record the expected IT load in megawatts (MW), load profile or utilisation, density assumptions, uptime objective and each planned growth phase. State when each phase must be energised, not only the ultimate target.
- Ask for a deliverability assessment. Request the utility’s view of capacity available to this parcel, service dates by phase, relevant transmission and substation constraints, required studies and upgrades, and who would pay for them. DOE’s questionnaire asks: “What is your power delivery model or interconnection strategy for the proposed project?”
- Separate discussion from commitment. Log what is preliminary, conditional or formally committed, along with dependencies, decision dates and the utility contact. A proposed schedule can change if studies, upgrades, approvals or equipment are outstanding.
- Check schedule-critical equipment. Include transformer and switchgear availability and lead times in the programme risk register, alongside grid works and interconnection milestones; ASHRAE identifies equipment lead times as a planning input.
- Test reliability and cost assumptions. Record the proposed supply arrangement, tariff or price assumptions, reliability expectations and any required redundancy. Assess backup generation, storage, renewable supply or a hybrid or bridge approach only against the project’s objectives, grid conditions and local rules.
- Understand wider effects. Ask what the project could mean for grid capacity and the surrounding community. Backup generation also raises fuel, emissions and permitting questions that belong in early diligence.
Keep the utility’s confirmation, study status, upgrade scope, cost allocation and schedule assumptions together. If the required date depends on a future upgrade or an unconfirmed interconnection path, show that as a project risk rather than presenting the site as power-ready.
Does the parcel have resilient fibre connectivity?
Confirm service at the parcel and map the physical routes that deliver it. A regional coverage map or a provider’s presence nearby does not prove that capacity can be brought to the site, when it can be delivered, or whether supposedly redundant links share a vulnerable route.
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- Identify the providers willing to serve the parcel, available capacity, delivery schedule, commercial terms and latency to the project’s relevant destinations.
- Map route paths, rights of way, site entrances and points where carriers may share conduit, ducts, bridges or other infrastructure. Two provider names do not necessarily mean two physically independent paths.
- Ask providers to confirm route diversity and any shared points of failure. Berkeley Lab’s 2026 siting table uses two or more physically separate routes as a typical screening threshold, not a universal standard. Set the actual requirement to match workload and resilience needs.
- Record what must be built or secured—such as new route construction, easements or site entry works—and whether the delivery date aligns with the power and construction programme.
Carry forward a fibre plan showing confirmed service, distinct routes and unresolved dependencies. If route information is commercially sensitive, request enough provider evidence to establish independence without assuming that an unverified map is conclusive.
Can the cooling design operate within water and discharge limits?
Water feasibility depends on the proposed cooling system, expected operating conditions and local constraints; there is no universal water threshold in the sources used here. Establish the design before judging whether a water source or sewer connection is adequate. DOE’s site-characterisation questions specifically ask what water and sewer availability the project needs and whether requirements vary with the cooling technology. The Federal Register document is an RFI, not a final rule.
- Quantify demand. Have the design team estimate water needs for the chosen cooling approach under expected operating and climate conditions. Identify assumptions and how demand changes across project phases.
- Confirm the source. Ask the water authority about available volume, quality, allocation or water rights where applicable, drought restrictions and the capacity and schedule for service. Check whether reclaimed or other non-potable water is feasible and permitted.
- Check wastewater and discharge. Establish discharge volume and quality, sewer and treatment capacity, applicable approvals, and whether treatment, pumping or conveyance works are needed.
- Include site drainage. Review stormwater controls, drainage capacity, ponds or other works, and relevant permits. Water supply, wastewater and stormwater are distinct constraints, even when managed by related authorities.
- Relate resource risk to climate and hazards. Consider water scarcity, drought, flooding and extreme heat in light of the cooling design and the site’s exposure. A design change can alter both resource demand and approval risk.
Ask the water and wastewater authorities to confirm capacity and conditions for the proposed design, rather than relying on a main visible at the boundary. If the design or supply depends on new infrastructure, identify its land, cost, approval and programme implications before ranking the parcel.
Is the land buildable and large enough to expand?
Calculate usable, developable area rather than relying on gross acreage. The site must accommodate the proposed buildings and associated infrastructure while accounting for easements, setbacks, access, topography, ground conditions, hazards and the project’s expansion plan.
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- Confirm title and site control, parcel shape, easements and rights of way. Map setbacks and other restrictions against a concept layout.
- Assess topography, geology and geotechnical conditions, including any investigation needed to confirm that the proposed works are feasible.
- Identify the land needed for buildings, substations or other utility works, cooling and water infrastructure, backup systems, roads, drainage and construction access. Coordinate this layout with the relevant engineering and planning teams.
- Reserve a credible expansion path. Check whether later phases can fit without being blocked by parcel boundaries, access routes, easements or neighbouring uses.
- Screen locally relevant hazards, including flood, seismic, wildfire and extreme heat exposure, and consider the resilience measures and cost they may require. Berkeley Lab includes these hazards among its common siting criteria.
- Review road access, construction logistics, workforce and supply-chain needs, and proximity to neighbours or sensitive uses where these could affect delivery or approvals.
Building height also needs an early check against local rules and the proposed plant layout. The Urban Land Institute’s report gives planning examples—not code requirements—of a single-storey data centre potentially needing a minimum height of up to 30 feet (9.1 metres), and denser multi-storey examples typically needing at least 66 feet (20.1 metres); rooftop equipment is considered separately. Confirm the actual building envelope, height limits and equipment treatment with the relevant authority and design team. See the ULI planning report.
What planning approvals and permits might block the project?
Confirm the land-use status and approval sequence early; industrial zoning alone may not authorise a data centre or all of its associated works. The route can involve permitted use, conditional or special-use approval, rezoning, environmental review and separate permits for construction, utilities, water, wastewater, fire safety or emissions. The precise requirements depend on the jurisdiction and project.
- Ask for the use classification. Have the planning authority confirm how it classifies the proposed facility and whether it is allowed by right, needs a conditional or special-use approval, or requires rezoning.
- Check the development envelope. Confirm height, setbacks, access, noise and other applicable land-use standards against a concept plan.
- Identify linked approvals. Ask which agencies handle environmental review, water and wastewater, stormwater, construction, fire and safety, generators and emissions. Confirm whether approvals are separate and what must be in place first.
- Build a permit matrix. For each approval, record the agency, submission, prerequisite or dependency, decision date, public meeting and appeal milestones, and a named owner for the next action.
- Engage early and update the sequence. Consult the responsible authorities and relevant stakeholders before treating a target date as dependable. Fold their requirements and the project’s design changes into the matrix.
Local guidance must be treated as local. Lancaster County’s May 2026 planning guide is explicitly draft guidance for Pennsylvania, not nationwide law. DOE’s diligence questionnaire was designed for Tribes to adapt to their governance, land status and community priorities; it is a due-diligence aid, not a universal permitting standard. The Federal Register document is an RFI, not a final requirement. Lancaster County’s draft guide and the DOE questionnaire are useful prompts, but neither substitutes for current local advice and confirmation.
Verify incentives, tax treatment and eligibility directly with the relevant jurisdiction and for the specific project. A programme or example in one place should not be assumed to apply elsewhere or remain available.
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How should you compare candidate sites?
Use a consistent evidence sheet so a strong result in one category does not hide a fatal constraint in another. Compare each site on:
- firm power delivery date, phaseability, reliability and price assumptions;
- grid upgrades, equipment dependencies, cost responsibility and interconnection status;
- usable land, buildable envelope and expansion capacity;
- confirmed fibre service, physical route diversity, latency and delivery schedule;
- water supply, cooling compatibility, wastewater and stormwater requirements;
- hazards, resilience measures and their cost;
- land-use path, permit sequence, public process and schedule risk; and
- total project and operating cost, including infrastructure and jurisdiction-specific taxes.
For each category, record evidence, source, date, confidence, conditions, cost or schedule impact, and the next verification action. Keep a separate list of deal-breakers—such as a power date after the required opening or no workable route to discharge—so weighted scoring does not make an infeasible site look attractive. Then weight the remaining criteria according to workload, cooling choice, risk tolerance and the required operating date.
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A decision-ready file makes assumptions visible and gives the next project stage a clear handoff. Include:
- project capacity, load profile, uptime objective, phase dates and cooling concept;
- utility correspondence, studies, interconnection route, upgrade scope and schedule status;
- provider confirmations and a route-diversity map for fibre;
- water, wastewater and stormwater capacity information tied to the cooling design;
- title, constraints, concept layout, hazard screening and expansion plan;
- land-use classification, permit matrix, agency contacts and public-process milestones; and
- a ranked comparison with unresolved risks, decision owners and next actions.
The result should distinguish what is confirmed from what remains an assumption. Revisit the screen when the load, cooling design, parcel boundary, utility schedule or local requirements change; each can alter feasibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does “firm power” mean when screening a data centre site?
For site screening, it means power delivery supported by a credible utility assessment and a defined connection path, schedule and conditions—not simply a nearby grid asset or an informal indication of interest. Ask the utility to explain what studies, upgrades and approvals still stand between the project and service.
Can a data centre use reclaimed water for cooling?
It may be an option, but feasibility depends on local supply, water quality, conveyance, treatment needs and applicable approvals. Confirm those points with the water authority and design team for the proposed cooling system rather than assuming reclaimed water is available because a nearby source exists.
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No. The planning authority needs to confirm the use classification and whether the project is permitted by right, needs a conditional or special-use approval, or requires rezoning. Separate building, environmental, water, wastewater, safety and emissions approvals may also apply.
How early should a developer contact the utility and planning authority?
Contact them during the initial site screen, while alternatives are still open. Power capacity and interconnection timing can drive feasibility, while early planning discussions help reveal the approval sequence and information needed before a schedule can be relied on.
