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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Founded in Burton in 1983, Crestchic has developed its UK operations in the town over four decades, moving to its current Centrum 100 headquarters in 1998 and continuing to expand locally as demand increased. In mid-2021, the company invested in a new factory, increasing its footprint by 60%. The expansion delivered strong operational results, including a 150% increase in production output, a doubling of the company’s rental fleet, and headcount growth from 175 to 250 employees.

However, with operations now operating across three neighbouring sites, and demand growing globally, the move will improve efficiency and create room for further expansion. The move to Centrum Logistics Park allows Crestchic to bring manufacturing, engineering, and logistics operations together in a single, larger facility.

Chris Caldwell, MD at Crestchic, commented, “Demand for power testing solutions continues to grow across multiple sectors, and while our previous expansion delivered strong gains, demand has continued to grow. This move allows us to future-proof our UK manufacturing base, improve operational flow and create capacity for further expansion while retaining the skilled workforce we have built in Burton.”

The lease for the new site has now been signed, with the relocation planned over a 12-month phased programme. This timeline will enable Crestchic to develop a world-class manufacturing facility purpose-built for precision electrical engineering, supporting higher-quality output and long-term operational resilience.

The new facility provides high-clearance industrial space, expanded loading capacity, and improved logistics circulation, supporting higher production throughput and accommodating the company’s growing rental and service divisions.

With the new footprint more than double than the company’s current Burton facility, Crestchic plans to increase production output by a further 75% in the coming years.

The building also aligns with company sustainability objectives, featuring solar PV generation, high energy efficiency standards, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, helping reduce operational energy consumption and emissions.

The move positions Crestchic to meet continued demand growth across data centre, power generation, renewables and industrial sectors while strengthening the resilience of its UK manufacturing operations.

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Grid instability is a growing risk 

According to Uptime Institute’s report, “Uptime Intelligence expects resiliency to re-emerge as a major area of focus and concern for the industry.”  

Ageing transmission infrastructure, electrification, intermittent generation, and the explosive growth of AI computing are putting increasing strain on power grids. In September 2025, the US Department of Energy (DoE) warned that grid power outages could increase one hundredfold by 2030. The US is not alone. In April 2025, Spain and Portugal were hit by one of the largest blackouts recorded in Europe in decades. In that same year, hundreds of smaller blackouts were caused by a myriad of failures and extreme weather events, suggesting that Europe’s electricity system is also at risk.  

With sources pointing to more frequent disturbances, voltage fluctuations, and long-term outages, data centres that once expected rare grid failures must now plan for more regular outages. 

Most data centres overcome this risk by installing backup generators. However, with frequent grid fluctuations and outages putting greater stress on critical power systems, ensuring the reliability of the generator is critical. This changes the role of testing. As grid risk rises, load testing becomes a frontline defence, not a compliance checkbox.  

From “maintenance asset” to strategic resilience tool 

While large outages are becoming less likely relative to industry growth, Uptime Intelligence data shows that, when failures do occur, their consequences are more severe. This shift necessitates a new approach to generator testing.  

While using a load bank to test generators has always been critical in terms of maintenance – testing alternator housing, windings, bearings, controls and cooling systems, and avoiding wet stacking – the extra pressures of grid instability and the rise in high-density infrastructure mean that operators must go beyond maintenance.  

Where many operators may previously have relied on testing once or twice a year, testing should now include scenario-based testing, including black starts, ATS transfers and N+1 failures. When backup systems consist of several generators, testing is also a vital step in validating synchronised or parallel systems, including verifying that they start automatically, synchronise, and support failover mechanisms. Tests should also assess how generators would perform in the event of a partial power failure.  

Proper loadbank testing can provide data that can directly influence board level decisions around resilience, investment, and risk planning. When asked, “How confident are we in our backup power?” Load bank results become the only credible answer. 

On-site power growth 

As grid capacity tightens, and fears of systemic failure mount, more data centres are investing in prime power systems, gas turbines, hybrid generation and shared power infrastructure across campuses. While becoming independent of the grid and adding redundancy may reduce reliance on large backup systems, new generators and power systems also require careful validation.  

Full system testing should be undertaken during commissioning, to confirm that the system – whether diesel generators, gas turbines or other power sources – performs as expected under real operating conditions. This includes validating load sharing and synchronisation in multi-generator or hybrid generation systems, as well as checking system settings and components to ensure safe transitions and fault response. Equally, thermal and cooling systems should be tested to confirm they can handle operations without overheating. Additionally, fuel systems must perform flawlessly to deliver clean and polished fuel for hours upon end, from large fuel storage systems across a range of ambient temperature throughout the year.  

None of that can be done meaningfully without load banks. In a world of multi-megawatt data centres and off-grid power generation, skipping load testing is effectively commissioning in the dark. 

Compliance moves centre stage  

As data centres create more energy on-site, prime power, built-in redundancy and battery storage mean that some facilities are actively supplying the grid through demand response arrangements. This move from data centres as passive consumers to “grid interactive” resources are likely to bring a new level of compliance. Many grid-interactive sites are being asked to meet new grid connection rules, including performing and documenting commissioning tests, as well as regular testing, to ensure safe grid-parallel operations and reduce risks.  

 As compliance requirements tighten, load bank testing is likely to become a regulatory enabler, demonstrating proven reliability.  

The need for full load 

Of course, while new pressures abound, we can’t overlook the age-old issue of wet stacking in backup generators. Wet stacking usually occurs when engines operate significantly below their rated output level, which is common in backup scenarios. This excessive no-or-low-load runtime causes a buildup of unburned fuel deposits around the combustion chamber, injector nozzles, piston rings, turbocharger, and exhaust. This, combined with condensed water, results in carbon particles and moisture gathering around the exhaust system. Potential outcomes include reduced power, increased emissions, and higher operational costs.  

Regularly running the generator at full load during load bank testing can resolve these issues. If the generator is used below the rated output level on a regular basis, pairing it with a load bank more permanently will prevent “wet stacking” from happening. Without load banks, generator failures often appear for the first time during a real outage, when it’s already too late. 

The bottom line: Load banks are still mission-critical 

As power resilience remains a real risk for data centres, load bank testing remains the backbone of a credible uptime strategy. As well as their ongoing role in testing whether backup power is “outage ready” and preventing equipment damage, load banks are increasingly important in supporting tiered resilience strategies and de-risking on-site power plants.  

In a world of unstable grids, AI-power consumption, and high uptime targets, backup power that hasn’t been tested using a load bank isn’t really backup power at all. 

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