Where the information comes from
We watch more than fifty public sources every hour: municipal planning portals and council minutes, national and regional gazettes, environmental impact registers, grid operator publications, public tender notices, company registers, regulator decisions and specialist press. We read each document in its original language.
How a move is verified
A move is published only after we have opened the record behind it. Every number, date, company and place must appear in that source. We keep the wording of the record: a planned capacity stays planned, a proposed contract stays proposed, a figure announced by a company is attributed to that company.
Each published story is also checked by a second, independent review against the full text of its sources before it goes out. Anything that cannot be confirmed is held back rather than published.
Coverage: how the record grows
DC Spotter follows new data centre projects and every change to them, from the first public document onwards. It is not a directory of every operating data centre in Europe. A project enters the record only when a public document proves it exists, and its page grows as each new filing, permit, grid step or contract appears. New projects are added every day; older projects are added once we have checked them against their sources.
Stages
Projects move through stages: early signal (a site or plan is reported), land secured, pre-application (screening, scoping, consultation before a formal application), planning submitted, permitted, grid secured, under construction and operating, or on hold when a procedure stops. Planning approval, a grid offer, a power contract and construction are separate milestones and are never treated as the same thing.
Capacity figures
Capacity is shown only when a source states it, with the unit the source uses (IT load, grid connection or site power). Phased figures keep their phases. Where no figure is public, none is shown.
Corrections
If you see an error, email [email protected] with the source. We correct records promptly and keep the date of the correction.