PM Hristijan Mickoski reiterates the position of the government concerning the projects for establishment of data centers in the country.
“As a state, we remain firmly committed to developing this type of industry because it is the future and the process is irreversible”, Mickoski said.
He dismissed opposition criticism over electricity consumption and cooling requirements as politically motivated, saying electricity costs would be covered by data-center operators at market prices. Mickoski said the government plans to build a national data center through its EU-backed Reform Agenda, linked to an existing recovery data center in the Prilep area.
The debate over proposed data-center investments in North Macedonia has intensified, with the opposition and government holding opposing views on transparency, resource use and the potential economic impact of the projects.
SDSM accused the government of conducting negotiations with potential investors behind closed doors and demanded details on the companies involved, investment terms, and expected water and electricity consumption.
“Macedonia has no resources for experiments behind closed doors. Especially not water”, said Maja Borozan from SDSM.
VMRO-DPMNE rejected the criticism, with MP Mile Lefkov accusing SDSM of spreading panic over the development of the data-center industry.
“VMRO-DPMNE is developing industries such as data centers, which are the future of Macedonia”, Lefkov said, stressing their potential to support economic development.