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In short: CTS Group has expanded its Kvandal data center work with Nscale in Narvik to 100MW, started building power modules at a new factory in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, and launched a patented cooling concept for AI data centers with Daikin. Together they show more of the data center being built and tested in a factory before it reaches site.
Three pieces of news from CTS Group this autumn show how the group builds data centers today. One is on site in northern Norway, one is in a factory in northern Portugal, and one sits in the plant room.
DC People is the specialist recruitment brand within CTS Group, so these are the projects behind many of the roles we recruit for. Here is what changed.
Kvandal, Narvik: three more buildings and 100MW
Key facts
Announced: 4 September 2026
Partners: CTS Nordics and Nscale
Scope: three additional buildings, taking the campus to 100MW in total
Completion: scheduled for 2027
CTS Nordics has expanded its turnkey partnership with Nscale on the Kvandal project in the Narvik region. The expansion adds three buildings to the work already under way.
Construction is active. Nscale noted that much of what is being installed, including the power modules, is manufactured and sourced in Norway.
A turnkey model means one team carries the whole job through to handover:
Design
Production
Installation
Commissioning
That is a demanding brief above the Arctic Circle. It is why the electrical, mechanical and commissioning roles on this project carry real weight. Curious what that work looks like? Take a look at our data center jobs in Norway.
Viana do Castelo: the power modules are in production
Key facts
Who: NordicEPOD, the joint venture between CTS Group and Eaton
Started: late August 2026, on two shifts
Investment: around €50 million
Orders: secured until June 2027
In northern Portugal, NordicEPOD has started production at its new Viana do Castelo plant, according to Echo Boomer.
The plant builds EPODs (electrical power distribution modules). These are prefabricated units that receive, transform, distribute and stabilise power for data centers.
The site in numbers:
110,000 m² in total, with 21,000 m² of built space
Around 450 EPODs a year planned
About 90% exported, starting with Europe and the Middle East
Power modules are long lead items that often decide a data center programme. Building them in a dedicated factory near a port moves work off site and gives project teams more control over the schedule. See our data center jobs in Portugal.
A new cooling concept for AI data centers
Key facts
Announced: 17 September 2026
Partners: Daikin Applied Europe and CTS Group
Projected PUE: below 1.2, even in Middle Eastern conditions, and lower in Nordic climates
Status: patented and validated in full scale factory testing
PUE (power usage effectiveness) measures how much of a data center's energy goes to the IT equipment itself. The closer to 1.0, the more efficient the site. Actual results depend on climate, the share of liquid cooling and the system configuration.
The problem it solves is specific. AI training causes rapid swings in server heat load. That makes it hard for conventional chiller plants to hold a stable water temperature for liquid cooled servers.
The concept keeps the water supplied to the CDUs (coolant distribution units) stable by combining:
An enhanced facility water system
Maximised free cooling
Buffer pipe technology
CTS Group says this was validated in full scale factory testing, including during brief power interruptions.
The cooling skids are designed and prefabricated at CTS Group's production campuses, with Daikin chillers and CDUs built in. They reach site already tested.
What ties it together
All three stories point the same way. More of the data center is now designed, built and tested in a factory before it ever reaches site.
That changes the work. It raises demand for people who understand:
Prefabricated MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) systems
Factory acceptance testing
Integrated systems testing
Alongside them, site and package managers are needed to bring it all together in places like Narvik.
Want to know what these roles look like day to day? See which projects are hiring or talk to us. We can tell you which projects are live and where your experience would fit.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kvandal data center project?
Kvandal is Nscale's data center campus in the Narvik region of northern Norway. CTS Nordics delivers it under a turnkey partnership, and the September 2026 expansion added three buildings, taking the campus to 100MW in total. Full completion is scheduled for 2027.
What does a turnkey data center partnership mean?
One team carries the project from design through production, installation and commissioning to handover. For Kvandal, that team is CTS Nordics.
What is an EPOD?
An EPOD is a prefabricated electrical power distribution module. It receives, transforms, distributes and stabilises power for a data center, and arrives on site as a finished unit.
Where are NordicEPOD power modules made?
At NordicEPOD's plant in Viana do Castelo, northern Portugal. NordicEPOD is a joint venture between CTS Group and Eaton, and the plant plans to build around 450 EPODs a year, with about 90% exported.
What is PUE in a data center?
PUE stands for power usage effectiveness. It compares the total energy a data center uses with the energy that reaches the IT equipment. The closer the figure is to 1.0, the more efficient the site.
Why is cooling harder in AI data centers?
AI training causes rapid swings in server heat load. That makes it hard for conventional chiller plants to keep a stable water temperature for liquid cooled servers, which is the problem the Daikin and CTS Group concept is designed to solve.
Which roles are in demand as data center construction moves off site?
People who understand prefabricated MEP, factory acceptance testing and integrated systems testing, alongside site and package managers who bring the modules together on projects like Kvandal.
