Based off the coast of North America, the Noble Sam Croft is an oil service/drilling ship built in 2014. With an overall length of 229m, a deadweight of 41,000 tons, and the ability to drill to a depth of 40,000ft, the Sam Croft is a large, high-specification drillship. The ship isn’t just impressive in terms of physical size and capacity, but also in strategic and operational importance – it is typically contracted by major energy companies for long-term exploration and production campaigns, making it a vital asset for the oil and gas industry.  

The diesel generators on the Noble Sam Croft sit at the very heart of its power system. They are responsible for supporting every essential onboard function, from propulsion and positioning to drilling operations and life support systems. In offshore environments where failure is not an option, it is vital that each generator is proven to perform at full capacity under real-world conditions. 

Working in the sweltering Caribbean heat, Crestchic’s lead engineer, Steve Cashmore, worked alongside eight local cable installers to deploy 36 sets of low-voltage cables.

Precision testing in extreme conditions 

Over a period of two weeks, Crestchic worked alongside Noble’s global team of commissioning engineers from Texas, Poland, Korea, and the UK to test the vessel’s power systems, ensuring full operational readiness for ongoing deployment off the coast of South America.  

To fully test the engines, the Crestchic team supplied 2 x 6MVA 480V resistive-reactive load banks, 2 x 6MVA 11kV/480V transformers, 15m 150mm LV cables, a distribution board and cables, and a spares kit.  The team tested each of the six diesel generators by bringing them up to 100% capacity. In doing so, engineers were able to confirm operational stability under full load (steady state testing), measure dynamic responsiveness to sudden changes in demand (transient testing), and verify synchronised performance across multiple generators (load sharing tests).  

Dawn Craft, Business Development Manager, at Crestchic explains, “Power systems support every essential function on board, including dynamic positioning, drilling, and operational/support systems. Accurate and reliable loadbank commissioning isn’t just procedural, it is the foundation of ensuring the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the entire rig. A power imbalance, system overload, or failure during drilling or transit, could result in downtime that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per day, or, worse, safety incidents.”  

To fully test the engines, the Crestchic team supplied 2 x 6MVA 480V resistive-reactive load banks, 2 x 6MVA 11kV/480V transformers, 15m 150mm LV cables, a distribution board and cables, and a spares kit.

Flawless equipment, trusted results 

Crestchic’s loadbanks performed reliably and accurately throughout the two-week operation. All six engines passed testing, and the commissioning was completed on time and to the highest technical standards. 

Igor Astrakhovych – PMP, Cheng, Marine Project Engineer and Scope Responsible from the Noble Sam Croft team commented: “Noble owns and operates one of the most modern, technically advanced fleets in the offshore drilling industry. Testing our critical power equipment is an important step in ensuring our fleet is properly maintained to deliver safe, efficient, and reliable operations. The equipment from Crestchic was the most accurate and reliable I have seen during engine testing.”  

Speaking about the job, Crestchic Engineer Steve commented “It was a fantastic experience and a great outcome for both the customer, and Crestchic.  The customer praised both the professional condition of the loadbanks and the smooth execution of the job. We hope this marks the beginning of a long and productive relationship with Noble.”

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Here, Paul shares some of his key takeaways from the published report:    

Data centres are critical to the Swedish economy 

The report sets out the clearest economic case yet for treating data centres as critical national infrastructure. The headline numbers are striking: SEK 3,750 billion of Swedish business revenue is directly dependent on data centre capacity; the sector contributes SEK 57.8 billion to GDP; and installed capacity has roughly doubled since 2020 to around 800 MW, with hyperscale builds driving it well beyond that by 2030.  

Resilience is non-negotiable  

The study rightly emphasises the need for secure environments with redundancy, backup, monitoring, and notes that critical infrastructure must operate with very high operational reliability and redundancy. Generators, UPS systems and backup power are listed repeatedly as defining features of these facilities.  

The economic stakes make proven resilience non-negotiable.

From risk to resilience: the role of testing   

The report quantifies exactly what is at risk if that power infrastructure fails. When SEK 3,750 billion in national economic activity relies on continuous uptime, backup power cannot be assumed to be reliable. A generator that has never run under full rated load, or a UPS string that has never been tested, is an untested single point of failure sitting at the heart of “critical infrastructure.”  

Load bank testing is how operators convert a specification on paper into resilience they can stand behind.  

The opportunity ahead   

The study notes that much of Sweden’s hyperscale capacity is still in the project or construction phase. Every one of those new facilities, and every expansion of an existing campus, requires commissioning and acceptance testing of its power systems before it goes live.  

As capacity scales, the requirement to test and validate generators, UPS systems and switchgear under controlled, repeatable conditions also grows. Modern resistive and reactive load testing allows operators to commission and prove power infrastructure efficiently and safely, without relying on the live grid and without exposing real IT load to risk.   

Crestchic’s entry into the Swedish market and its membership of SweDCI align directly with the growing need for load testing in Sweden. As the country’s installed capacity doubles and AI-driven growth accelerates, the operators delivering this critical infrastructure need a partner who can verify, beyond doubt, that the backup and redundancy described in the Impact Study will hold when it is needed most. 

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The new facility, based in Arlandastad, has been opened to support the wave of data centre construction and expansion now under way across Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Membership of SweDCI, the country’s leading industry body for the data centre sector, with around 140 member companies, connects Crestchic directly to operators, developers and suppliers across the region.   

According to the SweDCI Datacenter Impact Study 2026, SEK 3,750 billion in Swedish business revenue is directly reliant on data centre capacity. This finding emphasises that a large portion of economic activity depends on data centres operating reliably 24/7.  

Paul Long, Crestchic’s Regional Manager for Rental Sales in the Nordics, explains, “The data centre industry is growing fast. The Swedish market is roughly double the size it was in 2020 and continued expansion is expected through 2030. Every data centre requires its power infrastructure to be commissioned, proven under load, and retested at regular intervals. Being part of SweDCI lets us contribute that expertise to the wider industry conversation and, by establishing a local base, Crestchic aims to bring its testing capability and expertise closer to Nordic operators at the point of need.”   

Crestchic’s Swedish depot expands the company’s global footprint, which includes multiple depots across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. The Nordics depot will offer a comprehensive range of load banks, with capacities from 10kW to 100MW and voltages from 110V to 36,000V, ensuring a solution for every project scale and specification. The depot will also offer a number of solutions designed specifically for the data centre industry, including a 200kW ideal for testing of server halls, a newly launched 600kW liquid-cooled unit, and comprehensive loadbank controllers which allow users to configure tests, cluster up to 240 loadbanks, and run industry reports.    

Speaking about the membership, Fredrik Lindahl, from SweDCI, commented “”We are delighted to welcome Crestchic to SweDCI. Data centres are critical infrastructure that the wider economy depends on, making power resilience a key part of the industry. Bringing specialists in power testing and resilience into the membership strengthens the conversations we can have around power, sustainability and uptime.”  

For more information www.crestchicloadbanks.se 

– ENDS – 

Notes to Editors 

About Crestchic Loadbanks 

Crestchic Loadbanks is a leading manufacturer of load banks and a global supplier of load testing equipment and services. With over 40 years of experience and operations spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Crestchic supports critical applications in data centres, power generation, marine engineering, utilities, and defence. The company is headquartered in Burton-on-Trent, UK, with international depots providing local hire, sales, and service capabilities. 

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Crestchic’s Australian depot will be based in Melbourne. As the second largest data centre market in Australia and eighth in Asia-Pacific, the city is increasingly the preferred location for AI-focused hyperscale development, with strong government backing through the Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan. The business will be ideally positioned to serve a dense and rapidly growing cluster of major operators and global hyperscalers.  

The expansion is underpinned by significant investment at Crestchic’s UK headquarters. The company is set to double manufacturing footprint and increase production output by a further 75% in the coming years, in a direct response to growing demand from global markets. 

Speaking about the expansion, Chris Caldwell, Managing Director, commented:  

“Melbourne is rapidly establishing itself as a powerhouse for AI-driven hyperscale development, and, as facilities grow, the appetite for high-capacity, reliable load testing in that market is proving to be enormous. Having a local presence means we can support operators with the speed and responsiveness they need. It is a hugely exciting market to be entering.” 

Iain Hannaway, newly appointed General Manager of Crestchic Australia, is no stranger to Crestchic equipment. An experienced electrical engineer, Iain has a wealth of experience in the power generation industry, holding senior roles at leading businesses in the energy and data centre sectors. Iain will be supported by Senior Engineer, Wayne Larkham and Field Engineer, Anthony Carlin-Smith, ensuring customers in the region have access to local, hands-on expertise.  

Iain adds, “What sets Crestchic apart is the combination of world-class manufacturing, a vast rental fleet and deep sector expertise. The operators we will be working with here are running some of the most complex, high-value infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region, and they need a load testing partner they can trust completely. We have the people, the products, and the local knowledge to deliver that, and I am looking forward to getting started.” 

Crestchic operates in the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, supporting critical applications in standby power generation, marine engineering, utilities, and the military sector. The company has a unique dual capability as both a leading equipment manufacturer and an established rental operator; ensuring it can supply equipment to meet exacting specifications, or flexible rental solutions to support commissioning and ongoing maintenance programmes. Crestchic is part of the Aggreko group, a collection of specialist companies covering temporary power, temperature control, decarbonisation, renewables and rooftop solar, giving the team access to global knowledge-sharing and continued investment in new technologies. 

As part of the expansion, Crestchic’s Australian depot will offer a comprehensive range of load banks, with capacities from 10kW to 100MW and voltages from 110V to 36,000V, ensuring a solution for every project scale and specification. 

For more information, www.crestchicloadbanks.com.au  

– ENDS – 

Notes to Editors 

Crestchic Loadbanks is the UK’s leading manufacturer of load banks and a global supplier of load testing equipment and services. With over 40 years of experience and operations spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Crestchic supports critical applications in data centres, power generation, marine engineering, utilities, and defence. The company is headquartered in Burton-on-Trent, UK, with international depots providing local hire, sales, and service capabilities. As a member of the Aggreko group, Crestchic and our customers have access to global best practice, investment in new technologies and big thinking on the big issues like the energy transition. 

Media Contact 

Laura Wilks, T: 07828 953 758, E: l.wilks@crestchic.com  

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For us, three themes dominated the conversations at our stand from the moment the exhibition opened: liquid cooling, power resilience and data centre growth in the Nordics region.  

Data Centre cooling; liquid, air and hybrid solutions  

While air cooling is still commonplace, Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) is moving from being a nice-to-have into a genuine enabler of next-generation data centre operations. AI workloads are pushing densities higher, and maintaining thermal stability at that scale is critical to uptime.  

If the cooling architecture is changing, the way you test and commission it must change with it. It is no surprise that our 600kW liquid cooled loadbank – built for exactly this kind of environment – drew lots of attention at this year’s event.  

While there’s definite interest in liquid cooling, we also had some great conversations focused on the fact that the future isn’t a clean switch from air to liquid overnight. Rising AI rack densities are driving the adoption of combined air-and-liquid cooling- suggesting that the near-term reality is hybrid.  

Alongside the new liquid-cooled loadbank, and our 200kW data centre loadbank, our loadbank controller and software have been a real talking point on the stand. The system can manage up to 240 units and, crucially, can create hybrid clusters of air- and liquid-cooled loadbanks running together. 

Power resilience: does evolution increase risk?  

Inevitably, the question of power resilience continued to sit as the heart of any data centre conversation this year. As data centres consume increasing amounts of power, operators are exploring alternative power sources, on-site generation and hybrid energy setups. Alongside this rising complexity, the cost of downtime is climbing, and the margin for error shrinking. Power testing is even more important than ever. Resilience isn’t something that can be assumed; systems must be tested under realistic load if downtime is to be avoided. 

Nordics confirmed as a growth region for Data Centres  

Last but not least, a standout topic at this year’s event was the growth of the data centre market in the Nordics region. Only a month ago, we announced the opening of Crestchic Nordics, based in Sweden, so this is a topic very close to our hearts. Demand in the region is undoubtedly growing, with SweDCI’s recent Impact Report suggesting that installed capacity has roughly doubled In Sweden alone since 2020 to around 800 MW, with hyperscale builds driving it well beyond that by 2030.  We’re looking forward to building on our relationships with key players in Sweden and throughout the wider Nordics over the coming months, and it was great to hear growing excitement about the sector throughout the event.  

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by, shared their challenges, and talked through what’s coming next. Things are moving fast, and the way we test and commission data centre infrastructure must keep pace.  

We left Cannes more excited than ever about what’s ahead. See you at the next one. 

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Crestchic offers a comprehensive range of load banks, with capacities from 10kW to 100MW and voltages from 110V to 36,000V, ensuring a solution for every project scale and specification. At this year’s event, the company will be showcasing two data-centre specific products at the show, alongside our load bank controller which allows a single operator to manage up to 240 units from one control point. 

The team will be happy to talk about our newly launched 600 kW liquid-cooled load bank which has been purpose-built for high-density data centre commissioning. Designed to deliver accurate thermal validation and precision electrical testing of liquid-cooled infrastructure, it maintains ΔT stability to ±0.5°C regardless of flow variation, ensuring repeatable, reliable results during critical commissioning activities. 

We’ll also be bringing our popular 200 kW stackable load bank, a proven choice for data centre heat load and infrastructure testing. Up to 240 units can be linked and positioned strategically around a server hall to closely replicate server heat output, airflow patterns, and hot and cold aisle configurations — verifying that cooling systems are operating to specification and identifying any hot spots before the facility goes live. 

Speaking about the event, Paul Brickman, Commercial Director, commented: “Load testing is a critical step in bringing any facility online safely. Using load banks to simulate server power consumption and heat load, operators can verify that electrical infrastructure — generators, UPS systems, and PDUs — and cooling systems, can handle demand. Integrated Systems Tests (ISTs) are central to this process, confirming redundancy and reliability before a single demand is placed on the infrastructure.” 

Whether you’re planning a new build, expanding an existing facility, or want to talk through your commissioning requirements, come and find the Crestchic team on stand 45 at Data Cloud. 

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Crestchic Loadbanks, the UK’s leading manufacturer and global supplier of load testing equipment, has announced its expansion into Sweden. The move is a significant step forward in the company’s strategy to better serve customers across the Nordic region with both air-cooled and liquid cooled loadbanks.

With over 40 years of experience delivering load bank solutions to more than 50 countries, Crestchic has established itself as a trusted partner across a broad range of industries. Crestchic operates in the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, supporting critical applications in standby power generation, marine engineering, utilities, and the military sector.

Sweden has been selected as the base for Nordic operations due to its rapidly expanding data centre market and Crestchic’s established relationships with data centre owners, developers, and commissioning contractors in the region. The Nordic data centre market is forecast to grow at over 10% annually through to 2028, driven by demand from hyperscalers and co-location providers seeking stable, low-carbon energy infrastructure. As facilities grow in scale and complexity, including the rapid adoption of liquid cooling technologies to manage the thermal demands of high-density AI and HPC workloads, the need for reliable, accurate, high-capacity liquid and air cooled loadbanks has never been greater.

The Swedish expansion is underpinned by significant investment at Crestchic’s UK headquarters. The company has recently signed the lease on a new facility in Burton-on-Trent that will more than double its manufacturing footprint, with plans to increase production output by a further 75% in the coming years, in a direct response to growing demand from global markets.

Speaking about the expansion, Chris Caldwell, Managing Director, commented:

“After more than 40 years delivering mission-critical load testing solutions, Crestchic is growing at a pace that reflects the scale of opportunity in front of us. The Nordic data centre market is currently one of the most active in Europe, and we already have strong relationships with the key players driving that growth. This expansion puts us closer to our customers at exactly the right time.“

Leading Crestchic’s new Swedish operation is Richard Modin, a highly experienced operations and service management professional with over two decades of experience working across the Stockholm region. Richard’s background in managing complex, customer-facing service operations means he is well placed to support the contractors, developers and end users who will be working with Crestchic across the Nordics.

Richard adds, “Crestchic has a long and proven track record in designing and manufacturing load banks that perform in the most demanding environments. Add to that genuine market knowledge, local technicians with hands-on expertise, and a sales team that understands the products and the sectors they serve, and you have a team that can make a real difference to customers here. We are excited to build lasting partnerships across the Nordics.”

What sets Crestchic apart in this market is its unique dual capability as both a leading equipment manufacturer and an established rental operator, a combination no other provider in the sector can offer. Whether a customer requires equipment specified and built to exacting project requirements, or flexible rental solutions to support commissioning and ongoing maintenance programmes, Crestchic is the only partner able to deliver both under one roof. The company is part of the Aggreko group, a collection of specialist companies covering temporary power, temperature control, decarbonisation, renewables and rooftop solar. The group gives us access to global knowledge-sharing and continued investment in new technologies.

As part of the expansion, Crestchic’s Swedish depot will offer a comprehensive range of load banks, with capacities from 10kW to 100MW and voltages from 110V to 36,000V, ensuring a solution for every project scale and specification.

For more information www.crestchicloadbanks.se

– ENDS –

Notes to Editors

About Crestchic Loadbanks

Crestchic Loadbanks is the UK’s leading manufacturer of load banks and a global supplier of load testing equipment and services. With over 40 years of experience and operations spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Crestchic supports critical applications in data centres, power generation, marine engineering, utilities, and defence. The company is headquartered in Burton-on-Trent, UK, with international depots providing local hire, sales, and service capabilities. As a member of the Aggreko group, Crestchic and our customers have access to global best practice, investment in new technologies and big thinking on the big issues like the energy transition.

Media Contact

Laura Wilks

T: 07828 953 758

E: l.wilks@crestchic.com

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Modern data centres are often home to row upon row of generators, uninterruptible power supplies, and cooling infrastructure. For operators and contractors responsible for bringing these sites online, proving that every generator is fit for purpose is a critical step in achieving the industry standard of 99.999% uptime. With sites routinely running 20, 30, or even more generators, traditional testing methods can struggle to keep up with that demand. 

Housed within a purpose-built containerised enclosure and mounted on a twin-axle special purpose trailer, the 3,000 kW, 415V resistive load bank was specified from the ground up for one of Europe’s most active data centre contractors. Every design decision was driven by the realities of the site: tight access routes between generator enclosures, strict health and safety requirements, and pressurised commissioning timelines. The trailer also comes with a motorised power cable reel for easier and safer cable deployment and retraction, with 30-metre lengths of 240 mm² cable pre-installed, a 5,000-amp air circuit breaker for maximum protection, and Powersafe cable connectors for fast set-up. 

Paul Brickman, Commercial Director at Crestchic Loadbanks, explains: “We’re seeing more and more customers looking for a solution which will allow them to use their load testing equipment in multiple locations. Sites that once ran on two or three generators now operate fleets of twenty or more, sometimes distributed across multiple buildings or courtyards. Moving a load bank between generator sets was becoming a logistical exercise in its own right, consuming crew time and extending commissioning windows. This solution makes testing multiple gensets faster and more efficient.” 

• Twin-axle special purpose trailer: tow-vehicle compatible, no HGV or low-loader required, dramatically reducing mobilisation cost and lead time between tests. 

• Low floor height: designed to sit at generator cable-connection level, removing the need for elevated working platforms and the associated risk assessments and time overhead. 

• Motorised power cable reel: 30-metre lengths of 240 mm² cable are pre-installed and deploy or retract at the touch of a button, cutting the manual handling that contributes to musculoskeletal injuries and slows down turnaround. 

• 5,000 A air circuit breaker: provides robust overcurrent protection rated to the full prospective short-circuit current of the installation, giving engineers confidence during live testing. 

• Powersafe cable connectors: industry-standard shrouded connectors that can be mated quickly and safely, reducing set-up time and eliminating risk. 

For the European data centre contractor who specified this unit, the trailer-mounted load bank will compress the time between generator tests, eliminating the logistics overhead that previously made multi-generator commissioning a drawn-out process. The solution was developed through close collaboration between Crestchic’s R&D team and clients from across the data centre sector. The result is a complete, self-contained load testing solution, with everything needed to test multiple genset in one easy-to-move package. 

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Crestchic, the world’s leading provider of load bank solutions, today announced the launch of its innovative 600kW Liquid Cooled Loadbank at Data Centre World, London. The product marks a significant advancement in commissioning technology for the rapidly expanding liquid-cooled data centre market. 

As rack power densities continue to rise, operators are increasingly deploying liquid cooling technologies to manage thermal loads more efficiently. The need for precision commissioning tools has never been greater. Crestchic’s new 600kW Liquid Cooled Loadbank has been purpose-built to meet this challenge, delivering accurate thermal validation and precision electrical testing of liquid-cooled infrastructure at scale. 

Purpose-built for the modern data centre 

The 600kW Loadbank delivers up to 648kW at 415V and has been engineered for the rigours of real-world data centre commissioning.  

At the heart of the new platform is stable ΔT thermal control to ±0.5°C, enabling highly repeatable validation and precision electrical testing of liquid-cooled infrastructure. The unit maintains temperature accuracy to ±0.5°C regardless of flow variation, giving engineers the repeatability and confidence they need during critical testing activities. Comprehensive system protection covers flow, pressure, overload/underload, and thermal shock, safeguarding both the load bank and the infrastructure it is connected to. 

The 600kW platform features a single-vessel architecture, eliminating the need for multi-vessel configurations typically used at this power level. The result is a significantly smaller footprint, making the unit easier to position in space-constrained plant rooms. The compact design also simplifies transport, storage, and on-site handling. With a stackable structure, flush-mounted connections, heavy-duty castors and dual-side forklift pockets, the unit has been engineered for practical deployment on live project sites and can transported double stacked within a standard height ISO shipping container.  

Advanced control and reporting with VCS 

The 600kW platform integrates with Crestchic’s state-of-the-art VCS software, providing a comprehensive digital dashboard with live supply and hydraulic instrumentation data. The software supports real-time monitoring, automatic load profiling and clustering of up to 240 load banks for hybrid air-cooled and liquid-cooled test configurations. Automated compliance reporting via the Crestchic Portal provides audit-ready documentation aligned with key industry standards including ISO 8528-5/22514, NEMA MG1, EN60150, IEEE 141 and ASHRAE G22 standards. 

“The move toward liquid cooling is accelerating as rack densities increase, particularly with AI and high-performance computing workloads,” explains Paul Brickman, Commercial Director at Crestchic. “Our new 600kW Liquid Cooled Loadbank has been designed from the ground up to serve this market, giving commissioning engineers the precision, reliability and control they need to bring critical infrastructure online with confidence.” 

The 600kW Liquid Cooled Loadbank is available for both sale and rental through Crestchic’s global network of offices across the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Germany, Belgium, France, China, and UAE. 

About Crestchic 

Crestchic is a world-leading manufacturer and provider of load bank solutions, with decades of experience supporting the power generation, data centre, marine and defence industries. For more information, visit www.crestchicloadbanks.com 

Media Enquiries: Laura Wilks |  l.wilks@crestchic.com | 07828953758 

Ends 

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