# How long does it take to install a PSA oxygen plant?

**How long does it take to install and commission a hospital PSA oxygen plant?**

In UNDP's 2025 requirements for oxygen plants, an illustrative timeline gives six months for site preparation, one month for installation and two months for testing, training and commissioning; PATH and CHAI (2021) add 2 to 24 weeks of production and 2 to 12 weeks of shipping lead time.

UNDP calls its timeline illustrative and says it should be adapted to the context: the number of plants and sites, the infrastructure needed (new housing for skid-mounted or built-on-site plants, or containerised plants) and the procurement route. Its table also lists planning, assessment, specification, review, bidding, evaluation and contracting steps before the site work begins.

## Published durations, step by step

| Step | Published duration | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Production of the plant | 2 to 24 weeks, depending on size, customisation and supplier capacity | PATH and CHAI (2021) |
| Shipping | 2 to 12 weeks, depending on the port of origin and destination | PATH and CHAI (2021) |
| Sea freight of a containerised plant | Often 8 to 12 weeks, not counting local ground transport or customs clearance | Global Fund site readiness overview (2025) |
| Site preparation: drawings, construction, renovation, electrical work, readiness checks | Six months (illustrative) | UNDP (2025) |
| Inspection and reception on delivery | One month (illustrative) | UNDP (2025) |
| Installation and connection to the electrical supply, filling and distribution pipelines | One month (illustrative) | UNDP (2025) |
| Testing, training and commissioning | Two months (illustrative) | UNDP (2025) |
| Performance test | At least 24 hours of uninterrupted running at maximum flow, 3 days recommended; UNDP asks for at least three days of continuous operation | Global Fund commissioning guideline (2024); UNDP (2025) |
| Operator training | Typically at least two days at each location | Global Fund site readiness overview (2025) |

## What runs in parallel, and what causes delays

- Site work alongside production. PATH and CHAI note that the time needed to develop the installation site must be considered and can run in parallel, and the Global Fund overview says a decision must be made on delivering the equipment while site work is still under way.
- Supplier approval of the site. In the Global Fund process, the supplier either approves the site as ready for delivery or issues a punch list of items the hospital must address first.
- Early arrival. If the plant arrives before the site is ready, a temporary storage location is needed, and a crane must be mobilised twice: to unload the container and again to move it to its final position.
- Logistics. PATH and CHAI say installation requires complex logistics to ship multiple containers from the port of entry to the final destination.
- Container or building. WHO's Foundations of medical oxygen systems (2023) says containerised and skid-mounted plants make installation smoother but are not feasible for bigger sizes, typically above 30 Nm³/h. Assist International (Open Critical Care) notes that PSA plants are much more expensive in a container and take longer to build.

## With ULTRAOX plants

ULTRAOX SC plants are parameterised and tested in the factory and arrive ready to start on site, and the ULTRAOX CO version is built inside a sea container. The hospital provides a clean, level area reachable by a crane, condensate drainage, anchoring for the equipment and a three-phase power supply. See [what a site needs before an oxygen plant is installed](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/site-requirements-for-an-oxygen-plant/) and [how a PSA plant is commissioned](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-is-a-psa-oxygen-plant-commissioned/).

### Is a containerised plant quicker to install?

WHO (2023) says containerised and skid-mounted plants make installation smoother but are not feasible for bigger sizes, typically above 30 Nm³/h; the Global Fund overview (2025) still lists a concrete pad, a canopy and electrical feeders as typical site works for a container, with a fence recommended.

### How long is the commissioning test?

The Global Fund commissioning guideline (2024) asks for at least 24 hours of uninterrupted running at the rated maximum flow and recommends 3 days; UNDP (2025) asks for performance tests of at least three days of continuous operation.

## Sources

- [UNDP, REQ-OXY-001 v01, Technical and regulatory requirements for oxygen plants (effective 1 January 2025)](https://healthimplementation.undp.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/REQ-OXY-001-v01-UNDP-TECHNICAL-REGULATORY-REQUIREMENTS-FOR-OXYGEN-PLANTS.pdf)
- [PATH and CHAI, Oxygen Generation and Storage: Pressure/Vacuum Swing Adsorption Plant (July 2021)](https://media.path.org/documents/O2_generation_and_storage_PSA_VSA_v1.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: PSA Plant Site Readiness Process and Responsibilities (11 April 2025)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/tkyd3gwi/cr_c19rm-psa-plant-site-readiness-process-responsibilities_steps_en.pdf)
- [Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: PSA Oxygen Plant Commissioning Guidelines (28 August 2024)](https://resources.theglobalfund.org/media/qp3h1vxo/cr_c19rm-psa-oxygen-plant-commissioning_overview_en.pdf)
- [WHO, Foundations of medical oxygen systems (17 February 2023)](https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/4ad6f5fd-089e-4142-8439-b64e98d816d8/content)
- [Open Critical Care, Oxygen FAQ: What are key considerations for PSA plant site preparation? (FAQ by Assist International)](https://opencriticalcare.org/faq/what-are-key-considerations-for-psa-plant-site-preparation-and-what-is-the-advantage-versus-disadvantage-of-installing-psa-in-containers-instead-of-a-room-built-for-it/)
- [ULTRAOX SC datasheet, p. 3](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/products/ultraox)
- [ULTRAOX datasheet 2022, p. 9 and p. 19](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/ultraox)

Reviewed: 2026-10-22. Ultra Controlo engineering. https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-long-does-it-take-to-install-a-psa-plant/