Data Center Developer FAQ

The first technical step is commissioning the formal ATR (Aviz Tehnic de Racordare) grid connection study with Transelectrica and E-Distribuție Banat under ANRE Order 59/2013. The Institutional Support Letter from Mayor Ioan Popa (Nr. 366/15.04.2026) can be submitted alongside the ATR application to signal municipal backing. The letter was formally issued by the Reșița City Hall and is referenced in the NDA data room.

The ATR study takes 6–12 months per ANRE Order 59/2013. It determines the legally binding maximum connectable power capacity for a new consumer at the 400/220/110 kV Reșița node, given existing loads, N-1 contingency requirements, and grid topology. The ATR outcome replaces the indicative 50–200 MW range with a specific, contractable figure. The study was formally initiated in April 2026 with letters Nr. 42503 (to Transelectrica S.A.) and Nr. 42500 (to E-Distribuție Banat) from ADLR and Reșița City Hall.

The indicative range is 50–200 MW. This is based on the 650 MVA installed capacity at the adjacent substation and the scale of the 2024–2025 upgrade, and is consistent with similar nodes in Romania. However, installed capacity does not equal available connectable capacity. The ATR study determines available capacity by accounting for existing consumers, N-1 security margins, and the three 400 kV corridors. No figure binds any party until the ATR is completed and accepted by ANRE.

The site has access to the Bârzava river, which has a mean annual flow of 3.63 m³/s (13,068 m³/h) as gauged by INHGA at Reșița. Per ASHRAE TC 9.9, a 100 MW IT load requires 30–80 m³/h of makeup water for evaporative cooling. Available flow therefore exceeds the cooling requirement by over 50× at mean annual conditions. The Pârâul Țerova tributary flows directly through the project zone. Water use permits are issued by Apele Române under Legea 107/1996. The climate advantage (mean ambient 2–3°C below Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam) reduces mechanical cooling baseline and improves achievable PUE.

No rezoning is required. The site carries permanent industrial classification from the Reșița municipality. Industrial zoning permits the power infrastructure, building heights, and operational characteristics of a data center facility without a zone change. The PUZ (Plan Urbanistic Zonal) — a Zonal Urban Plan — is currently under elaboration with a target of Q3 2026. The PUZ formalises the specific permitted uses within the industrial zone for data center development, but does not change the existing industrial designation.

The ~3 ha project footprint is within a ~31-hectare perimeter classified as municipal private domain of the City of Reșița. Municipal private domain is the category of city-owned land that can be sold or conceded to private parties (distinct from public domain, which cannot). There are no encumbrances. Acquisition follows a mandatory public tender (licitație publică) under Romanian administrative law, initiated by HCL (Hotărâre a Consiliului Local) — a Local Council decision — after an independent ANEVAR land valuation sets the minimum price. The Strategic Partnership Agreement (Art. 3.1) commits the Mayor's Office to initiating the HCL procedure. The tender is open by law; technical criteria under Art. 6.2 are calibrated for data center use.

Three structures are available, negotiated in term sheet: Structure A (Developer-led SPV) — Romanian SPV jointly incorporated; majority equity with developer, minority with RDI; developer-controlled board with RDI veto on municipality-facing decisions; milestone-linked capital. Structure B (Asset acquisition) — Developer acquires the RDI SRL entity; 100% developer ownership from signing; purchase price plus earn-outs triggered on ATR result and land milestone; founder retained in advisory capacity for municipal continuity. Structure C (Tripartite) — Developer plus infrastructure fund plus RDI minority; fund anchors pre-construction capital; developer underwrites build; three-party governance arrangement. All structures negotiated under NDA.

In all partnership structures, the development partner receives Design, Build, Operate (DBO) authority — full control over the architectural design, construction contracting, MEP engineering, equipment procurement, and operational management of the data center. RDI retains minority equity in most structures and veto rights only on decisions that interface with the Municipality (e.g., municipal tender participation, PUZ amendment requests, public authority communications). Operational decisions — including tenants, power contracts, rack configurations, and capital expenditure — are entirely within the development partner's authority.

The strongest third-party validation is PPC Romania's adjacent acquisition. PPC Romania — a subsidiary of Public Power Corporation, Greece's largest listed energy company with a balance sheet exceeding €5 billion — acquired 9.9 hectares of land directly adjacent to RES1 in December 2025 for a 100 MW gas-fired power plant, connected to the same 400 kV Transelectrica substation. This is an independent institutional investor that conducted its own full due diligence and chose the same grid node. The transaction is public record, documented by Profit.ro and Agenda Constructiilor.

Based on public record review: (a) No Natura 2000 protected habitat overlay on the project zone; (b) Industrial classification pre-dates EU environmental designations; (c) The site is on previously industrial land. Full EIA (Evaluarea Impactului asupra Mediului) is partner-led, conducted after land allocation and before Building Permit (AC). EIA pre-screening documentation noting the absence of apparent conflicts is available in the NDA data room. Seasonal Q95 flow assessment for the Bârzava water use permit is also included.

Indicative timeline (partner-led after NDA): Month 0: NDA signed, data room accessed. Months 1–2: ATR filed with Transelectrica + E-Distribuție Banat. Geotech, hydrology, seismic pre-assessment. Months 6–12: ATR result. ANEVAR valuation completed. HCL initiated. Month 12–14: Public tender for land. Land allocated (sale or concession). Months 14–24: PUZ approved. EIA. Building Permit (AC) application. Design development. Months 24–42: Construction. Infrastructure commissioning. Month 36–42: First power on. Operational commissioning. Timelines are indicative and depend on ATR outcome, partner capital deployment pace, and regulatory calendar. The PUZ is already under elaboration (target Q3 2026), reducing this dependency.

The data room is structured in four sections: Legal — Strategic Partnership Agreement Nr. 28099 (signed, registered, official seals affixed); Institutional Support Letter Nr. 366/15.04.2026; Company certificate CUI 54450187; Technical Working Group decision Nr. 42486. Grid — 650 MVA substation documentation; 3 × 400 kV corridor maps and operational status; 4 EU PCI project documentation; ATR process guide (ANRE 59/2013); grid inquiry letters Nr. 42503 and Nr. 42500. Site — ~3 ha site boundary KML; industrial zoning confirmation; municipal private domain status; PUZ elaboration status; ANEVAR valuation process outline; Bârzava river flow data and cooling calculation. Process — HCL agenda timeline; public tender procedure; Technical Working Group composition.

There are no currently disclosed competing bids. Resita Data Infrastructure SRL is in active developer and investor conversations. The land acquisition will ultimately proceed via public tender under Romanian administrative law, which is open to all qualifying bidders by statute. Technical criteria within the tender terms (Art. 6.2 of the Strategic Partnership Agreement) are calibrated for data center development, but cannot legally exclude other industrial uses. RDI does not claim exclusivity over the public tender outcome — this is a known and named risk in the investor framework documentation.

Road access: Calea Caransebeșului is a direct access road to the site at Km 7.5. The road connects to the DN58 national road network. Rail access: Reșița is a rail-connected city; the industrial zone has historic rail infrastructure. Fibre: Specific fibre route details are in the NDA data room. Utilities: Water, sewage, and medium-voltage distribution infrastructure documentation is being compiled via Letter Nr. 42500 to E-Distribuție Banat (sent 4 May 2026). Airport: Timișoara International Airport (TIM) is approximately 90 minutes by road — the primary international access point.

This is a named risk in the investor framework. Mitigation: The ATR is commissioned before land capital is deployed. If the ATR returns a figure that renders the site unviable for the development partner's requirements, the partnership agreement includes termination provisions without residual financial liability to either party. Practically, the 650 MVA installed capacity and the scale of the 2024–2025 upgrade make a sub-50 MW ATR result unlikely — but it cannot be ruled out until the study is complete. This risk is disclosed, named, and the capital structure is designed around it: no land capital is deployed until ATR outcome is known.