Data Centers | Medium Voltage to Rack

One Power Path. One Partner

A data center’s power path runs from the utility feeder to the rack. Ewing-Foley carries 13 manufacturers across it, so every layer has one team behind it.

Utility

1 MV Feeders APAR, Condumex, Kerite, Nehring

1

MV Feeders

APAR, Condumex, Kerite, Nehring

2 Distribution JAGG, EPD, Powell

2

Distribution

JAGG, EPD, Powell

3 Protection Panduit

3

Protection

Panduit

4 Underground Prime Conduit, RMC

4

Underground

Prime Conduit, RMC

5 Pathway + Firestop nVent CADDY, Channel Track, STI

5

Pathway + Firestop

nVent CADDY, Channel Track, STI

6 Cooling + White Space nVent, Panduit

6

Cooling + White Space

nVent, Panduit

13 manufacturers. Every layer of path.

The schedule slips where two layers meet

Every layer of a data center’s power path comes from a different manufacturer, with its own lead time and its own spec questions. Problems rarely start inside one layer. They start at the handoffs: a cable temperature rating that doesn’t match the connectors, a pathway detail that doesn’t match the firestop, or gear that shows up before the duct bank is ready for it.

Engineering Firms

Catch the conflicts between layers before the drawings go out.

Owners

Know which layer sets your energization date, and plan around it.

Contractors

One supplier, one set of submittals, one delivery plan.

Layer 1

MV feeders: choose the operating temperature, not just the rating

The feeder is the first decision on the power path, and it shapes everything after it. EFI carries MV-105 cable from APAR, Condumex and Kerite, plus Nehring’s 15kV aluminum TRXLPE, in copper and aluminum, from 5kV to 35kV, with 100% and 133% insulation levels.

Spec Question before Bid

Will this cable run at 90°C or 105°C, and are the connectors, accessories and soil conditions rated for that number?

Layer 2

Distribution: switchgear, switchboards and cable bus

This is where the feeder becomes usable power, and where lead times get long. JAGG builds custom MV metal-clad, metal-enclosed and walk-in aisle switchgear. EPD’s DFS-891 switchboards are UL 891, rated up to 5000A and up to 100kAIC, and seismic qualified. Powell’s metal-enclosed cable bus runs 600V to 38kV, 800A to 6000A.

Spec Question before Bid

What is the lead time on the gear, and does the cable bus or feeder route arrive in time to meet it?

Layer 3

Protection and termination: the run has to hold when the fault hits

A short circuit puts enormous force on a cable run for a fraction of a second. Panduit cable cleats are tested to IEC 61914 to hold cables in place through it. Pan-Lug copper compression lugs are UL Listed with Milwaukee M18 crimpers, so the lug and the tool are listed together.

Spec Question before Bid

Is short-circuit restraint in the tray spec, and are the lugs listed with the tooling the crew will use?

Layer 4

Underground: duct bank and conduit that last the life of the site

The duct bank goes in once. Prime Conduit P&C Duct is made to NEMA TC-6/8 and ASTM F-512 and rated for 90°C conductors. Multi-Gard multi-cell raceway handles direct bury and concrete encasement. RMC supplies galvanized and stainless conduit, fittings and strut.

Spec Question before Bid

Is the duct rated for the conductor temperature you chose in Layer 1?

Layer 5

Pathway and firestop: add cable without starting over

Data centers keep changing after they open. CADDY wire basket tray and datacom supports from nVent replace labor-heavy trapeze. Channel Track makes supports in stainless, aluminum, galvanized and fiberglass. STI EZ Path 44+ lets crews add or remove cable without re-firestopping, and the Modular Floor Grid is certified up to 3 hours.

Spec Question before Bid

When cable is added after turnover, does the fire-rated penetration stay compliant without rework?

WHERE THE PATH MEETS THE RACK

Liquid cooling is on the power path now

AI racks bring cooling to the rack. The nVent LTA CDU runs liquid-cooled racks, including GB200 NVL36 and NVL72, without facility water. Panduit adds direct-to-chip cabinets, rear-door heat exchangers, PDUs and containment for the white space.

November release

The whole power path in one guide

Every layer, every spec decision to make before bid, and who supplies each one. Written by Ewing-Foley for 2027 data center projects.

Pricing a Project?
Send us a scope.

One team covers the whole path, so you get one quote across layers instead of one per vendor. Send what you have: a bill of materials, a one-line, or a rough list. Inside Sales will follow up.

Not ready for a quote?
Put your one-line in front of the team that carries all 13 lines. 20 minutes.
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