English
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski today from Berovo again defended the development of the data center industry in Macedonia, assessing that it is an irreversible process and a sector in which the country needs to position itself if it wants to be a leader in the region.
Speaking about the initiative to build a center in near-by Pehcevo, Mickoski said that it is a private initiative and that the local Council and the Municipality have already expressed their negative position. However, he stressed that the Government remains committed to the goal of developing this type of industry in locations where there are conditions and where it is permitted by law.
We as a state absolutely remain committed to our goal of developing such an industry, because that is the future and that process is irreversible, said Mickoski.
He rejected the opposition’s criticism, assessing that some of the public messaging about the risks of data centers are politicized and based on outdated arguments. According to him, it cannot be claimed in advance that such investments will have a negative impact on the quality of life. Mickoski said that the state should decide whether it wants to be a leader in the region or remain at the bottom again, adding that he is both politically and professionally behind the development of this industry. “I absolutely and politically, both as a professor and as an engineer, stand behind the construction of this industry and will fully support it,” said the Prime Minister, adding that the Government will also take an institutional risk for the development of the sector.
Regarding one of the main issues in the public – who will pay for the electricity that data centers will consume – Mickoski said that the cost will be borne by the investor. “The electricity will be paid by the one who consumes it, at a price agreed on the free market,” he said.
The Prime Minister also addressed the debate over the consumption of water for cooling data centers. According to him, some of the criticism is based on technologies that are 10, 15 or 20 years old and do not take into account modern systems. Mickoski pointed out that today there are different ways of cooling, depending on the purpose of the data center and whether the infrastructure will be used for artificial intelligence or other digital services.
The statement comes during a period of intensified political debate over the Government’s announcements that it is talking to several potential investors for data centers, while the opposition is demanding that details about electricity and water consumption, the conditions that would be offered to investors and the economic benefit for the state be published.