Site identification and acquisition advisory
- For whom
- Landowners with grid-adjacent industrial or rural land; capital partners seeking to originate AU compute assets; developers who need a site assessment before committing to a project.
- What you get
- Continode screens candidate sites against power, water, fibre, land tenure, planning, and cooling criteria simultaneously. A site that clears all four inputs against a hyperscale load envelope proceeds to a site viability memo. Sites that fail on one or two inputs are assessed for what it would cost to resolve the constraint — sometimes that number changes the answer.
- Indicative timeline
- Screening takes 4–8 weeks per candidate. Controlled-site advisory from initial engagement to landowner agreement typically runs 8–20 weeks, depending on tenure complexity and landowner readiness.
- What the engagement looks like
- Engagement begins with a constraint review briefing — Gary maps the site against the four inputs before any commercial discussion. Fees are advisory and paid by the client. Continode does not take introduction or brokerage fees from landowners or capital sources.
Power procurement and grid connection
- For whom
- Developers and capital partners who have a site but have not progressed a formal connection pathway; landowners who want to understand the value of their grid-adjacent position before entering a sale or JV conversation.
- What you get
- Grid connection for loads above 20 MW in Australia is a multi-year process involving transmission network service providers (TNSPs), distribution network service providers (DNSPs), and a structured application sequence. Continode maps the connection pathway specific to each site — transmission options versus distribution options versus behind-the-meter (BTM) configuration — and assesses the timeline, cost, security, and easement implications of each. The South East Queensland 400 MW master plan (80 MW Stage 1) is a live example of this work in progress.
- Indicative timeline
- Connection enquiry through to an offer-to-connect runs 12–36 months in the current Australian queue environment. Continode's advisory role runs from initial TNSP/DNSP engagement through to offer acceptance and into delivery governance.
- What the engagement looks like
- Power strategy advisory can be engaged as a standalone workstream or as part of a full site origination mandate. Continode does not take commissions from network operators or equipment suppliers.
Capital structuring and introduction pathway
- For whom
- AU-based developers with credible sites who need access to the UAE-AU capital corridor; UAE-based capital allocators who need an origination channel and local operator context before entering an AU infrastructure position.
- What you get
- Continode structures the capital conversation before it begins — ownership vehicle, return profile, currency exposure, FIRB pathway, and the investment thesis specific to the site and load profile. Introductions to UAE institutional capital are made only when the project can support due diligence from a sophisticated investor. [VERIFY: Gary to confirm which specific UAE capital introductions can be described as active versus in-dialogue before this language appears externally.]
- Indicative timeline
- Capital structure advisory runs concurrent with site origination. The introduction pathway to UAE capital typically requires a six-to-eight-week preparation phase to produce materials that match investor diligence standards.
- What the engagement looks like
- Advisory fees are paid by the client. Continode does not take placement fees or carried interest. Fee structure is disclosed at first engagement.
Project management through commissioning
- For whom
- Capital partners and developers who have secured a site and capital but need a principal-level project manager who understands the interface between grid connection milestones, construction programme, and tenant activation.
- What you get
- Continode manages the interface between the four delivery workstreams that typically run in parallel on a hyperscale build: TNSP/DNSP connection works, EPC contractor delivery, equipment procurement (long-lead HV plant runs 24–36 months in the current supply environment), and tenant technical requirements. The role is owner's representative, not contractor — Continode does not manage subcontractors or hold construction contracts.
- Indicative timeline
- From controlled site to powered shell for a 50–200 MW facility: 36–54 months in the current Australian environment, driven primarily by connection lead times and HV equipment supply.
- What the engagement looks like
- Project management mandates are structured per-project. Scope, reporting cadence, and fee basis are agreed before engagement commences.
Operating partnership structuring
- For whom
- Capital partners who want to hold the facility as an infrastructure asset without operating it directly; developers who need to decide between wholesale colocation, neocloud, and owner-operated models before capital is committed.
- What you get
- The operating model decision — who runs the facility, who holds the technology risk, who holds the tenant covenant — is a capital structure question as much as an operational one. Continode advises on the risk allocation between owner, operator, and tenant across wholesale colocation models (tenant brings IT, operator holds the building), neocloud models (platform holds the compute and sells capacity), and hybrid structures. The choice determines the return profile, the required operator partner, and the covenant quality of the income stream.
- Indicative timeline
- Operating model advisory typically runs 4–8 weeks as a structured decision process, delivered before the project is taken to market. [VERIFY: Gary to confirm whether any specific operator partnerships are under discussion that could be referenced as indicative examples.]
- What the engagement looks like
- Engagement produces a written operating model recommendation with a risk allocation comparison and a shortlist of operator partner categories. Named operator introductions follow only with Gary's direct relationship access.