Vetting Rights for Hyperscale Data Centers & Co-Located Utility-Scale Power

Hyperscale data centers are the engine of the global digital economy. Their massive, non-stop power demand requires dedicated, utility-scale renewable energy generation (Solar and BESS) to be built either adjacent to or in close proximity to the facility. This colocation model is critical for achieving net-zero goals, ensuring uptime, and managing power costs.

However, the sheer size and speed of hyperscale deployment intensify every aspect of land acquisition. Developers are often acquiring hundreds or thousands of acres under compressed timelines. LandGate provides the essential geospatial intelligence to de-risk these massive, high-stakes land deals.

The Three Scalability Challenges Unique to Hyperscale Land Vetting

For a hyperscale project, land must satisfy three non-negotiable requirements simultaneously: massive industrial use, massive energy generation, and guaranteed long-term stability.

1. The Scale of the Industrial Footprint

Hyperscale facilities require hundreds of acres for the data center buildings, cooling infrastructure, and security buffer zones. This demands near-perfect, unencumbered land.

• Key Question: Can a single parcel or contiguous parcels of land support a 100+ MW solar farm alongside a multi-building data center campus, all while maintaining required setbacks and industrial access?

• Developer Focus: Due diligence must swiftly confirm the buildable area. This goes beyond simple topography. Developers must use geospatial tools to instantly screen for and quantify exclusion zones from:

  • Existing Utility Easements: Overlapping transmission lines, pipelines, and utility rights-of-way that prevent construction.

  • Environmental Constraints: Non-mitigable wetlands, floodplains, or critical habitats that shrink the usable area.

2. Subordination of Subsurface Rights: The Zero-Risk Mandate

For a multi-billion dollar hyperscale facility, the risk of mineral, oil, or gas activity disrupting the site is absolutely unacceptable. Zero risk is the mandate.

• Key Question: Are the subsurface (mineral) rights completely controlled, or can they be permanently subordinated to protect the data center's foundation and the renewable array's lifespan?

• Developer Focus: Unlike smaller projects, a hyperscale site cannot afford ambiguity. Developers must secure a Subordination Agreement where the mineral owner legally waives the right to use the surface for extraction. LandGate's detailed mineral ownership data is crucial here, allowing developers to identify, quantify the value of, and negotiate with the relevant parties quickly, a step often missed or delayed by traditional methods.

3. Power Interconnection & Grid Stability at Gigawatt Scale

A hyperscale data center requires enormous grid capacity and must ensure the co-located renewable asset can consistently meet its load with high reliability.

• Key Question: Is the closest point of interconnection (POI) physically and economically capable of handling the combined power output and transmission requirements, and what is the market risk?

• Developer Focus: The due diligence must analyze the Available Transfer Capacity (ATC) and historical Locational Marginal Price (LMP) data at the proposed POI. This determines not only the feasibility of the interconnection but the financial viability of the power purchasing agreement (PPA). LandGate’s energy market data allows developers to quickly compare potential sites based on true grid economics.

The Speed of Co-Located Hyperscale Development with LandGate

Traditional land vetting can take months, a timeline that is fatal to hyperscale deployment, which often operates on a 12-18 month site-to-power schedule. LandGate enables simultaneous, multi-criteria analysis across vast areas.

Hyperscale Land Challenge	LandGate Data Solution	Value to Developer (Speed & Scale)
Rapid Site Screening	Geospatial screening for industrial zoning, fiber proximity, and environmental setbacks.	Reduces initial site selection from months to hours, eliminating incompatible parcels instantly.
De-risking Subsurface	Mineral Ownership and Valuation layers integrated with parcel data.	Provides an immediate roadmap for securing permanent subordination, meeting the zero-risk mandate.
Economic Viability	Real-time LMP, ATC, and Renewable Resource Score data.	Quantifies the long-term PPA stability and cost of power, linking the land asset to the power market.
Highest & Best Use	Multi-resource comparative analysis (Solar, BESS, Industrial, etc.)	Confirms the land will support the highest-value combination of Industrial and Energy assets.

By providing a single platform for all critical land, energy, and market data, LandGate ensures that the foundational due diligence for a hyperscale project is as fast and reliable as the facility itself.

Ready to Accelerate Your Hyperscale Pipeline?

Hyperscale deployment requires a hyperscale approach to due diligence. Don't let fragmented data slow down your next multi-billion dollar investment.

Click Here to Book a Demo and see how LandGate’s geospatial intelligence can guarantee the success of your co-located hyperscale data center projects.