Power engineering where outages cost millions
Hyperscale data centres operate at the most demanding end of power reliability engineering. NEWATT has delivered power system studies for major hyperscale campuses in Malaysia and the United Kingdom, including studies accepted by 275 kV and 132 kV utility operators.
Our studies cover the full chain from high-voltage incomer through MV distribution, UPS and battery-room arc flash, earth-grid design and comprehensive protection coordination — the deliverables that unlock energisation approvals and satisfy the technical requirements of hyperscale operators.
What this sector involves
A data centre's electrical infrastructure has to meet two competing requirements simultaneously: absolute continuity of supply for IT loads, and safe access for the engineers who operate and maintain the systems that deliver it. Every switching sequence, fault scenario and protection trip has to be studied before it happens on a live system, not discovered during an incident.
At the utility interface — 275 kV in Malaysia, 132 kV in the UK — the network operator requires specific studies before granting connection: load flow, short circuit, protection coordination, transformer energisation and insulation coordination. NEWATT has prepared and had accepted studies at these voltage levels for hyperscale operators including Google, Amazon and Microsoft.
Inside the campus, arc flash studies to IEEE 1584 at every level from 11 kV switchgear down to 480 V / 415 V UPS and battery room busbars, earthing grid design to IEEE 80, relay coordination covering every protection zone and sequence-of-operations studies that verify every planned switching sequence is safe — these are the deliverables that a rigorous commissioning programme requires.
Typical scope for Data Centres
- 275 kV & 132 kV utility interface studies
- Sequence of operations studies
- Transformer energisation analysis
- DC & AC arc flash to IEEE 1584
- Earthing grid design to IEEE 80
- Relay coordination & protection
- Insulation coordination
- Harmonics & power quality
Studies NEWATT delivers for data centres
HV incomer studies
Load flow, short circuit and protection coordination studies at 275 kV, 132 kV and 33 kV — prepared to the format and technical content the network operator requires for a connection agreement, with assumptions and scenarios documented in full so the utility's review team can check every number.
Sequence of operations
Sequence-of-operations studies verify that every planned switching sequence — planned and unplanned switching, fault clearance, restoration — is safe and results in the intended network configuration. For a data centre with multiple feeders, bus-sectioning and auto-transfer schemes, this study is the backbone of a rigorous commissioning programme.
Transformer energisation
Inrush current and transformer energisation studies confirm that voltage depression and protection relay operation during energisation are within acceptable limits — essential for sites where multiple large transformers are energised in sequence during build-out phases.
Arc flash to IEEE 1584
Incident energy studies to IEEE 1584:2018 at every voltage level — 11 kV switchgear, 415 V / 480 V distribution boards, UPS and DC battery room busbars — with PPE category assignments, arc flash boundary calculations and labelling schedules for every panel on the campus.
Safety & reliability engineering
Protection & relay coordination
Complete protection coordination across the campus — from the HV utility interface down to the final UPS distribution panel — with time-current characteristic curves, grading margins and relay setting sheets for every protective device.
Earthing grid design
Earth grid design to IEEE 80 principles — mesh conductor sizing, electrode arrangement and step/touch potential analysis across the site, including the transformer yards, switchrooms and any outdoor switchgear.
Power quality & harmonics
Harmonic distortion assessment for UPS systems, VFDs and rectifier loads, checked against IEEE 519 limits at the point of common coupling and internally. For hyperscale campuses where multiple large non-linear loads operate simultaneously, harmonic interaction between loads is modelled.
Insulation coordination
Overvoltage and insulation coordination studies for the HV incomer and MV distribution — surge arrester sizing and placement, switching overvoltage analysis and insulation level verification — to confirm equipment is rated for the transient environment it will actually see.
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