What is BS EN 50600‑2‑2 - Data centre facilities and infrastructures about?
BS EN 50600‑2‑2 is a part of the EN 50600‑2 that define the requirements for the data centre design.
BS EN 50600‑2‑2 addresses power supplies to, and power distribution within, data centres based upon the criteria and classifications for “availability”, “physical security” and “energy efficiency enablement” within EN 50600-1.
BS EN 50600‑2‑2 specifies requirements and recommendations for the following:
- Power supplies to data centres
- Power distribution systems to all equipment within data centres
- Telecommunications infrastructure bonding
- Lightning protection
- Devices for the measurement of the power consumption and power quality characteristics at points along with the power distribution system and their integration within management tools
Note: Safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements are outside the scope of this European Standard and are covered by other standards and regulations.
Who is BS EN 50600‑2‑2 - Data centre facilities and infrastructures for?
BS EN 50600‑2‑2 on the power supply and power distribution for data centre facilities and infrastructures is useful for:
- Architects
- Building designers and builders
- System and installation designers
Why should you use BS EN 50600‑2‑2 - Data centre facilities and infrastructures?
Data centres usually need to provide modular, scalable and flexible facilities and infrastructures to easily accommodate the rapidly changing requirements of the market. In addition, the energy consumption of data centres has become critical both from an environmental point of view (reduction of environmental footprint) and with respect to economic considerations (cost of energy) for the data centre operator.
BS EN 50600‑2‑2 specify requirements and recommendations for particular facilities and infrastructures to support the relevant classification for “availability”, “physical security” and “energy efficiency enablement” selected from EN 50600-1. BS EN 50600‑2‑2 addresses facilities and infrastructures for power supplies, and power distribution within, data centres together with the interfaces for monitoring the performance of those facilities and infrastructures in line with EN 50600-3 series and EN 50600-4 series standards (in accordance with the requirements of EN 50600-1).
Overall, the guidelines of BS EN 50600‑2‑2 enable you to design a power supply and distribution that meets the process, physical security and energy efficiency requirements for data centres facilities and infrastructures.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 50600‑2‑2:2019 will supersede EN 50600-2-2:2014.
The main changes in BS EN 50600‑2‑2:2019 compared to EN 50600-2-2:2014 are as follows:
- Title modified to emphasize distinction between power supply and power distribution requirements
- Clause 5 updated, in particular subclauses 5.1 regarding the power supply to the data centre and 5.2 on the power distribution within the data centre
- Availability requirements in Clause 6 revised and aligned with EN 50600-1:2018 and EN 50600-2-3:2018
- Physical security requirements revised, mainly regarding the power distribution in the data centre (see 7.3.2)
- Granularity level requirements amended (see 8.2 to 8.4)

