How Skanstec Delivered Meta's Power Grid on Time & on Budget
A 12-month hyperscale data centre substation in Odense, Denmark — managed end-to-end on Methvin's integrated platform, from first estimate to final commissioning.
Executive Summary
Skanstec, a specialist turnkey engineering company within the H&MV Engineering Group, was appointed lead engineering and infrastructure delivery partner for the ODN Substation — a critical high-voltage/medium-voltage power facility enabling Meta's hyperscale data centre campus in Odense, Denmark.
The project demanded precise coordination across electrical grid integration, reinforced civil structures, and complex underground service networks — all under a rigid 12-month schedule with zero tolerance for power interruption. Skanstec deployed Methvin across five integrated modules: Project Management, Estimating, Takeoff, RFI, and BIM, unifying every phase of the EPC lifecycle on a single platform.
The result was a grid-compliant, highly resilient power node commissioned on schedule and in full compliance with European ISO and sustainability standards — directly enabling the operational capacity of one of Meta's most significant European data centre investments.
Company Profile · Skanstec
ODN Substation & Grid Connection
Meta's hyperscale data centre campus in Odense required an entirely new, purpose-built power node — and it had to be right first time. Meta's Odense campus is one of the company's largest European investments in hyperscale compute infrastructure. Data centres of this scale demand power systems built to the highest standards of resilience, redundancy, and regulatory compliance — there is no room for iterative commissioning or phased handover.
Complexity at Every Layer
A hyperscale data centre substation is not a typical construction project. Skanstec faced compounding technical, coordination, and schedule pressures from day one.
Estimating & coordination challenges
"Managing a project of this scale — an EPC substation for a hyperscale client with no schedule tolerance — required every discipline to work from the same source of truth. Methvin gave us that. From the initial estimate through to the final RFI close-out, everything was in one place."
— Senior Project Manager · Skanstec
Delivery & BIM challenges
Methvin Modules Deployed
Five integrated modules — each purpose-built for construction, working together across the full EPC lifecycle.
Project Management
- Gantt scheduling & milestones
- Task allocation across disciplines
- Programme tracking & reporting
- Cross-team visibility dashboard
Estimating
- First-principles EPC cost model
- Resource & rate libraries
- Multi-discipline work package pricing
- Revision history & audit trail
Takeoff
- PDF-based measurement tools
- Drawing revision comparison
- Civil & ducting quantity extraction
- Auto-linked to estimate
RFI
- Structured RFI register & workflow
- Ball-in-court tracking
- Response audit trail
- Linked to drawings & docs
BIM
- Multi-discipline model federation
- Clash detection & issue logging
- 4D programme integration
- Structured model review workflow
Before Methvin vs After Methvin
| Area | Before Methvin | After Methvin |
|---|---|---|
| Estimating | Fragmented Multi-tab spreadsheets per discipline; no cross-scope linking; manual reconciliation on every revision | Integrated Single integrated EPC cost model with linked work packages; revisions tracked automatically |
| Takeoff | Manual Manual measurement from printed or PDF drawings; revision changes required complete remeasure | Digital Digital takeoff with PDF overlay; drawing revision comparison with auto-delta quantities |
| RFI Management | Ad hoc Email threads; no formal register; response latency and accountability gaps | Structured Structured RFI register with ball-in-court tracking; full audit trail and programme linkage |
| BIM Coordination | Siloed Discipline models exchanged via file transfer; clash detection run in isolated sessions | Federated Federated model environment with live clash detection and structured issue register |
| Programme & Reporting | Delayed Weekly status updates compiled manually; no real-time visibility across disciplines | Live Live dashboards; Gantt schedule with milestone tracking; instant cross-team status reporting |
Project Outcomes & Platform Results
What a fully integrated Methvin deployment delivered on one of Europe's most demanding infrastructure projects.
- ✓12-month programme delivered on schedule with no handover slippage
- ✓Full HV/MV substation commissioned and energised to Danish grid standards
- ✓RFI register closed out with zero unresolved queries at handover
- ✓BIM clash resolution completed prior to any civil works commencing on site
- ✓All civil and ducting quantities traced directly from Takeoff to the live estimate
- ✓ISO-compliant project documentation maintained throughout across all modules
- ✓Complete audit trail from initial estimate through to final cost report
Quantified platform value on a fixed EPC programme
Schedule certainty and rework avoidance on critical infrastructure contracts deliver measurable returns beyond direct software cost.
| Value Driver | Basis | Estimated Annual Value |
|---|---|---|
| Estimating & takeoff integration | Eliminated reconciliation rounds across electrical, civil, and underground scopes | 6+ weeks saved |
| RFI workflow formalisation | Structured register with ball-in-court tracking from mobilisation | Zero backlog at handover |
| BIM-led clash prevention | Multi-discipline coordination resolved before civil works commenced | Rework removed from critical path |
| Programme reporting automation | Live dashboards replaced weekly manual status compilation | 200+ hours saved |
| Total estimated value | Schedule certainty on a fixed 12-month EPC contract |
In Their Own Words
Methvin gave us one platform for everything — from the first quantities through to the last RFI. On a project like this, where Meta's schedule is non-negotiable and every discipline has to move in lockstep, that level of integration isn't a nice-to-have. It's what lets you actually deliver. We had full visibility at every stage, and when issues came up, we could track them, assign them, and close them out without anything falling through the cracks.
What Skanstec learned
- Integrating Takeoff directly with Estimating from the outset eliminated the costly reconciliation rounds that typically occur when quantities and cost models are maintained separately.
- Establishing the RFI register before mobilisation — rather than after the first design queries arrived — meant the programme never lost momentum waiting on untracked answers.
- BIM clash detection ahead of civil works commencement prevented costly on-site rework that would have threatened the schedule on a fixed-duration EPC contract.
- Training all disciplines on a single platform, rather than siloing module adoption per team, created the cross-functional visibility that made real-time reporting possible.
- ISO-compliant documentation is far easier to maintain when it is built into the workflow rather than compiled retrospectively from scattered sources.
What comes next for Skanstec
- Methvin to be standardised across all future H&MV Group EPC projects as the default delivery platform, eliminating per-project tool selection decisions.
- Expand Estimating module usage to include Methvin's procurement and supplier quoting workflows, reducing the time from cost model to subcontract award.
- Leverage BIM integration more deeply on upcoming grid connection projects, using 4D programme linkage to drive site sequencing decisions.
- Explore Methvin's Job Costing module to provide live budget-versus-actual visibility throughout construction, rather than end-of-month reporting cycles.
- Roll out Methvin's Document Control module to bring drawing register and transmittal management within the same platform as RFI and BIM workflows.
Key Takeaways
Deliver Your Next Complex Project on Methvin
Integrated estimating, takeoff, BIM, RFI, and project management — built for the way infrastructure teams actually work.