CETIN Serbia Plans 3.6 MW Data Centre Near Belgrade Bypass

CETIN Serbia has started environmental screening procedures for a planned 3.6 MW data centre in Beli Potok, marking an expansion of commercial digital infrastructure beyond Belgrade’s traditional concentration in New Belgrade.

The telecommunications infrastructure company submitted a request to Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection seeking a decision on whether the project requires a full environmental impact assessment. The submission represents an early permitting stage and does not constitute construction approval, but it outlines the planned technical characteristics of the facility.

The proposed development would be built on 7,242 square metres of land at Kružni put Rakovica in the municipality of Voždovac, near Avala and the Belgrade bypass. The location is within the detailed regulation plan for the Bubanj Potok commercial zone, positioned between the bypass and a planned railway corridor.

Eight data halls planned in new Beli Potok facility

CETIN’s planned complex would have 3,986.95 square metres of gross developed floor area. The technical section of the facility would include a basement, ground floor and one upper level, while the administrative part would extend across three above-ground floors. The core infrastructure would consist of eight separate data halls, supported by two transformer substations, external diesel generator areas, underground fuel-storage tanks, a dedicated fire-water reservoir and associated electrical, cooling, security and communication systems.

The facility is designed with a maximum contracted electrical capacity of 3.6 MW, placing it above a standard corporate server room but below hyperscale data-centre campuses developed for global cloud and artificial-intelligence workloads. The planned scale corresponds more closely with a regional colocation and telecommunications facility serving mobile operators, financial institutions, cloud providers, content companies and large corporate users. CETIN already operates a 3.5 MW data centre in New Belgrade. Completion of the Beli Potok project would raise the company’s declared data-centre power capacity in the capital to approximately 7.1 MW.

Digital infrastructure market expands across Serbia

The investment comes as Serbia’s data-centre sector develops across several segments. The state is expanding sovereign cloud, artificial-intelligence and supercomputing capacity through the State Data Centre in Kragujevac, while telecommunications operators including CETIN and Orion Telekom are increasing commercial colocation capacity in Belgrade.

At the same time, major companies and financial institutions continue operating private facilities or leasing capacity from specialised providers. A 3.6 MW facility operating continuously at maximum demand would require approximately 31.5 GWh of electricity annually. Actual consumption would depend on occupancy levels, IT equipment density, cooling systems and power-usage effectiveness.

With utilisation between 75% and 90%, annual electricity consumption could reach around 23.7 GWh to 28.4 GWh. Using an indicative delivered electricity cost of €90–€110/MWh, annual electricity expenses could amount to approximately €2.1 million to €3.1 million, excluding generator testing, maintenance and balancing costs. Electricity costs will therefore represent a major operating expense and influence pricing for future tenants.

The disclosed power figure refers to total facility demand rather than usable IT capacity. The share available for servers will depend on cooling, lighting, pumps, security systems, uninterruptible power supplies and electrical losses. A power-usage effectiveness ratio of 1.4, for example, would leave approximately 2.57 MW available for IT equipment at full facility demand. CETIN has not disclosed its planned efficiency ratio, cooling technology or rack density targets.

Location supports network expansion and redundancy

The Beli Potok site is expected to receive access from the future Nova 5 road, with another connection planned after construction of Nova 1. The location near the Belgrade bypass provides access for equipment deliveries and emergency services while avoiding the traffic constraints of central Belgrade. The separate location from CETIN’s existing New Belgrade facility could provide geographic redundancy for customers requiring replicated systems across different metropolitan sites.

Physical distance alone does not guarantee resilience. Independent power feeds, fibre routes and distribution infrastructure are required to avoid common points of failure. The environmental documentation does not disclose proposed grid connections, backup feeder arrangements or external optical network routes. CETIN’s existing infrastructure provides a foundation for the expansion. The company reports approximately 9,700 kilometres of fibre-optic network, 2,700 points of presence and 2,800 microwave links across Serbia.

Its network carries around 1,450 terabytes of data daily and maintains international interconnection points in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Vienna, Budapest and Sofia. The company’s existing connectivity platform allows the planned Beli Potok facility to offer more than physical server space, including potential services such as private connections, internet transit, cloud connectivity, cybersecurity and managed infrastructure. CETIN currently positions its data-centre services as open to international and domestic operators, financial institutions, content providers and digital-service companies.

Environmental review focuses on conventional infrastructure risks

CETIN’s application states that the project will not produce high-frequency electromagnetic radiation. The main environmental considerations relate to standard data-centre infrastructure, including generator emissions and noise, fuel storage, cooling systems, refrigerants, water requirements, fire protection systems and potential contamination risks. The planned underground fuel tanks will require leak detection systems, secondary containment and emergency procedures.

Diesel generators must undergo regular testing even when grid supply remains stable, creating periodic emissions and noise impacts. The Ministry of Environmental Protection will determine whether these issues can be managed through standard operating conditions or whether a full environmental impact assessment is necessary.

Limited employment but significant infrastructure investment

The project documentation envisages only six permanent employees. The staffing level reflects the automated nature of modern data centres, where power, cooling, security and fire systems can operate continuously with limited on-site personnel. The investment is therefore focused on digital infrastructure capacity rather than large-scale job creation. Construction and installation activities would create temporary demand for civil contractors, electrical engineers, cooling specialists, fibre installers, commissioning teams and security-system providers.

CETIN has not disclosed project capital expenditure, construction schedule, rack capacity, certification plans or tenant agreements.

A fully equipped 3.6 MW data centre in Central and Eastern Europe could require investment of approximately €25 million to €45 million, depending on redundancy levels, cooling technology, equipment installation timing and grid requirements. A phased development approach could reduce initial capital requirements but increase future expansion costs if additional infrastructure needs to be installed after occupancy begins.

Certification and technical design will also influence financing and leasing prospects. Customers and financial institutions typically assess power redundancy, physical security, fire protection, maintenance procedures and business continuity capabilities.

Private operators add capacity alongside state facilities

The Beli Potok project follows continued expansion of Serbia’s public digital infrastructure. The State Data Centre in Kragujevac commissioned two additional modules in April 2026, adding 8 MW and increasing total power capacity to 14 MW. Public investment in the facility has exceeded €100 million, while a second supercomputer equipped with Nvidia processors has entered operation. The Kragujevac facility and CETIN’s planned centre target different market segments.

The state facility focuses on government systems, sovereign cloud infrastructure, supercomputing and commercial users operating within a state-controlled environment. CETIN’s project is aimed primarily at telecommunications and commercial colocation services.

The additional private capacity could allow customers to maintain primary and disaster-recovery environments across separate locations. Serbia remains a relatively small European data-centre market, but electricity supply and grid reliability are becoming increasingly important as the country expands digital infrastructure, develops artificial-intelligence capacity and manages changes in its energy system.

A 3.6 MW requirement represents a limited share of Serbia’s overall electricity demand, but data centres require continuous and high-quality power supply, making connection terms, redundancy and voltage stability critical factors. CETIN states that its Serbian network is supplied with renewable electricity. Applying the same approach to Beli Potok would support a lower operational emissions profile, although renewable sourcing does not replace the need for reliable grid infrastructure and backup generation.

CETIN expands within regional telecom group

CETIN Serbia operates within CETIN International, covering Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia as part of the e& PPF Telecom Group. The shareholder structure includes the e& and PPF telecommunications partnership and Singaporean institutional investor GIC.

The environmental-screening decision will determine the next stage of the Beli Potok project. A requirement for a full assessment would extend preparation timelines, while approval under prescribed conditions would allow the company to continue with further planning, construction and grid-connection procedures. The proposed facility would nearly double CETIN’s declared Belgrade data-centre capacity and expand the company’s role in Serbia’s commercial digital infrastructure market.