Irish water engineering company Whitewater Group has marked a major step in its European expansion with a ground-breaking ceremony for a new €3m production facility supporting the delivery of water treatment and cooling infrastructure for data centre projects across Europe.

The new Alpha 2 facility in Tomelloso, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, will expand Whitewater Group’s engineering, manufacturing and off-site modular delivery capability. The development represents the largest investment by a foreign-owned company in the region and the first phase of Whitewater Group’s wider growth plan for Spain.

The company plans to develop Tomelloso as a centre of excellence for engineering, off-site manufacturing and modular delivery, supported by future development in Zaragoza and the wider Aragón region.

Alpha 2 will be Whitewater Group’s second production facility in Tomelloso, operating alongside its existing Alpha 1 facility. The development will add more than 3,000 m² of industrial production space, together with offices, warehousing, outdoor storage and specialist crane infrastructure.

The expanded facility will increase Whitewater Group’s capacity to deliver large-scale water treatment and cooling systems for critical data centre infrastructure across Europe.

It will also enable the company to advance a first-of-its-kind off-site manufactured modular approach within the business. Water treatment and cooling systems will be engineered, fabricated, assembled and tested in a controlled manufacturing environment before being transported to client sites for final installation and commissioning.

This approach is designed to improve safety, quality control, programme certainty and delivery efficiency, while reducing construction activity and complexity on project sites.

Whitewater Group is an Irish-headquartered engineering company specialising in water treatment and cooling infrastructure for data centres and other critical industries. It employs more than 250 people internationally, with approximately half of its global workforce now based in Spain.

The ground-breaking ceremony followed the traditional Spanish “primera piedra” format and included the signing of the official commencement of works document and the placement of symbolic items into a time capsule representing Ireland, Spain, Castilla-La Mancha and the day of the event.

Guests included Emiliano García-Page, President of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha; Javier Navarro, Mayor of Tomelloso; Begoña Villacís, Executive Director of Spain DC, the Spanish Data Centre Association; and representatives from Enterprise Ireland Spain.

Speaking at the ceremony, John Knowles, CFO of Whitewater Group, said: “Alpha 2 is an important milestone in Whitewater Group’s international growth. This €3m investment reflects our long-term commitment to Spain and strengthens our ability to support clients delivering critical data centre and industrial infrastructure across Europe.

“Our ambition is to develop Tomelloso as a centre of excellence for engineering, off-site manufacturing and modular delivery. By engineering, assembling and testing systems before they reach site, we can provide greater certainty in quality, safety and project delivery.

“This is the first phase of a wider development plan for Whitewater Group in Spain, with further growth planned in Zaragoza and across the Aragón region.”

Construction has now formally commenced, with the development programme continuing into 2027.

Once operational, Alpha 2 will increase Whitewater Group’s European manufacturing capacity and strengthen its position as a specialist delivery partner for engineered water treatment and cooling infrastructure across the data centre, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.

Whitewater Group

Whitewater Group is an Irish-headquartered water engineering company specialising in water treatment and cooling infrastructure for data centre, pharmaceutical, industrial and other critical infrastructure clients.

The company provides engineering, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and lifecycle support services across Europe. Whitewater Group employs more than 250 people internationally, with operations in Ireland and Spain.

Its expanding Spanish operations include production and engineering facilities in Tomelloso, together with offices in Madrid and Zaragoza. The Alpha 2 development forms the first phase of a wider investment plan intended to strengthen the company’s European engineering, off-site manufacturing and modular delivery capabilities.

Alpha 2

Alpha 2 is Whitewater Group’s second production facility in Tomelloso, Castilla-La Mancha. The €3 million development will add more than 3,000 m² of industrial production space and support the engineering, fabrication, assembly and testing of modular water treatment and cooling systems. It will employ 120 people. Construction commenced in June 2026, with the development programme continuing into 2027.

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