Founder and CEO of Energia Kholoda (NCT)
Maxim Krasnov
I build an industrial cooling manufacturer in Russia: cooling towers, chillers and turnkey cooling plants for factories, data centers and other sites across the country. Here I write plainly about the business — how to build a company and stay sane.
About
I was born and live in St. Petersburg. In 2004 I graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University of Refrigeration and Food Engineering, Department of Air Conditioning; my diploma project won a Daikin award for its in-depth engineering.
I started out at international companies — York International (Johnson Controls) and Trane Technologies — and trained at their plants. In 2011 I founded Energia Kholoda, and in 2014 we turned from a trading company into a manufacturer by launching our own production under the NCT brand.
I speak at industry conferences and run cooling-tower webinars and education sessions for engineers. I am an academician of the International Academy of Refrigeration.
Outside work
Father of three, with a German Shepherd at home. I spend my free time on the move:
Career path
- 2004Graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University of Refrigeration and Food Engineering, Department of Air Conditioning. The diploma project won a Daikin award.
- 2005Representative of York International (Johnson Controls) in Northwest Russia.
- 2008Representative of Trane Technologies (USA) in Northwest Russia.
- 2011Founded Energia Kholoda. Started working with Thermax on absorption chillers; the first machine went to the Volzhsky Pipe Plant.
- 2012Set up a design department and an engineering bureau for complex and non-standard customer projects; expanded supplies of imported cooling equipment.
- 2014Own products for the Russian market and own manufacturing under the NCT brand: mechanical-draft cooling towers, chillers, condensers. Customers in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
- 2017Started manufacturing control cabinets, pump skids and water treatment systems.
- 2023Energia Kholoda ranks among the top five leading manufacturers of chillers and refrigeration machines.
- 2024Elected academician of the International Academy of Refrigeration.
- 2025Investment project for a new plant in the Novoorlovskaya Special Economic Zone (St. Petersburg); Russia's first finned tube line for closed-circuit cooling towers; first international trade show — Big 5 Global in Dubai.
Energia Kholoda (NCT)
Energia Kholoda is a full-cycle cooling engineering company. Founded in 2011 in St. Petersburg, with its plant in Sertolovo (Leningrad region).
- Own NCT manufacturing: mechanical-draft cooling towers, chillers, dry coolers, condensers, pump skids, controls.
- Exclusive distributor of Thermax absorption chillers in Russia and the CIS.
- Turnkey cooling plants: design, supply, installation, commissioning, warranty and service.
- In-house research, design and engineering bureau.
- Our solutions run at more than 1,000 plants and facilities in Russia and abroad.
How it started
In 2014 we decided to replace imported cooling towers with our own, and it changed our business completely: we went from a trading company to a manufacturer.
The dollar had doubled against the ruble, and the American, Chinese and Indian equipment we represented became too expensive for our customers. Western partners started limiting sales without explanation and stopped delivering equipment to Russia that had already been paid for. That is how the idea of our own manufacturing was born.
Almost every industry needs cooling, so our equipment runs both at small food plants and at the largest factories in the country. The goal is to build the best cooling towers and chillers and put them on the most important sites.
Latest
All news →Absorption Chiller for Data Centers: Free Up 1,437 kW of Grid Power
A gas absorption chiller cuts a 5,000 kW data center's cooling peak from 1,667 to 230 kW and saves RUB 67M on grid connection. Payback…
Liquid Cooling for Data Centers Without a Chiller: Water to the Chip
A 5,000 kW data center without a chiller: 1.3M kWh a year instead of 10.22M, RUB 18.9M instead of 105.2M. How a closed-circuit tower…
Data Center Cooling: 5 Options for 5,000 kW and Their Annual Cost
Chillers for a 5,000 kW data center cost RUB 105.2M a year, direct-to-chip cooling RUB 18.9M. Five cooling options compared: power, gas…
Turnkey Chiller Plant: Choosing a Single-Responsibility Contractor
A turnkey chiller plant is accepted after a 72-hour integrated test. How to pick a contractor, why piecemeal buying costs more, and 10…
How to Cut Industrial Cooling Costs: 8 Measures with the Numbers
Free cooling on a 1,000 kW load saves up to 1.78 million kWh a year. Eight ways to cut cooling costs: water temperature, VFDs, water, heat…
Absorption Heat Pump: How to Recover Waste Heat from 25–50 °C Water
An absorption heat pump takes 25–50 °C water from a cooling tower, adds steam or gas and delivers 60–105 °C: 42% of heat free, a third…
Talks and travel
- 3rd Energia Kholoda Education Session, St. Petersburg
- ABOK online forum «Industrial Facilities: Innovative Building Services Equipment and Technologies»
- Cooling-tower webinar «How to cut the energy cost of data-center cooling»
- Online tour of the NCT cooling equipment plant
- EVO.INDUSTRY-2026, Russian national forum on maintenance and repair
- Data Center Design & Engineering 2026 forum
- MAP Russia 2026 exhibition
- Compressor Technologies 2026 conference
Careers at Energia Kholoda
We are a big team working toward one result. We train our people, run seminars and work on projects of national and international scale. Official salary with indexation, voluntary health insurance, and a 13th-month salary.
Need advice on cooling?
Describe your site and task. Energia Kholoda engineers reply within one business day; complex cases I review personally. Quick question? Message Telegram @nct_admin.