Data center in Skopje, Mickoski confirms negotiations with six companies

The Government of North Macedonia is negotiating with six companies on financing or developing the National Data Center, while also assessing a potential location for the facility, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said.

Although the identities of most of the interested companies have not been disclosed, Mickoski said in an interview with MIA from Washington that Rumble, a company linked to Chris Pavlovski, is among them.

According to the prime minister, discussions with Pavlovski and Rumble have already begun. He also said that the company has since acquired a company in Germany. Mickoski described it as part of a group of companies that continues to expand and is valued at around five billion dollars.

In addition to Rumble, talks on the National Data Center project are also underway with five other companies. Their names and details of the negotiations have not yet been made public.

The announcement of plans to build the center has sparked opposition from political parties, but the Government continues to support the project. Criticism has focused particularly on how the facility would operate and its potential environmental impact.

Mickoski rejected concerns related to cooling technology, arguing that modern data centers can operate using different systems. According to him, some solutions use air, while others use refrigerant gas.

Referring to concerns about noise and water use in the cooling process, the prime minister sharply criticized political forces that, in his view, do not understand modern technologies and are seeking to attract attention through the issue.

Rumble is not the only US company with which the Government has discussed investment opportunities. According to Mickoski, talks were also held during his stay in Washington with the US International Development Finance Corporation, known as the DFC, regarding the financing of several strategic projects.

The discussions included the “Čebren” and “Galište” projects, as well as other investments in the energy and infrastructure sectors. The prime minister said that financing was also considered for government-led investments in data infrastructure, along with the possibility of attracting private US investment to the country.

Mickoski announced that he had met in Washington with Caroline Wick, whom he described as being responsible for global development and investment within the DFC. According to him, the US corporation’s financial portfolio is worth around 200 billion dollars.

Alongside the plan for the National Data Center, the Government is considering securing foreign capital and involving private investors in technology, energy and infrastructure projects. However, the specific terms, the form of financing and the names of all the companies participating in the talks have yet to be made public.