October the 11th, 2026 – The massive and controversial Croatian Pantheon project has been a hot topic for a multitude of reasons, but will it actually be completed within the prescribed deadline?
The controversial Croatian Pantheon project is a data centre with a capacity of one gigawatt which would enable the employment of several thousand people during construction and later on. Poslovni reports that the Pantheon project is proceeding according to the planned schedule and should be completed within the set deadline, entrepreneur Jako Andabak revealed on Friday. Together with American partners, he stands behind the realisation of the Pantheon data centre in Topusko, worth a staggering 50 billion euros.
A solid and high-quality network
Andabak made the statement as part of the third edition of the Master Business Forum (MBF), a platform that brings together leaders of the business community, experts and institutional representatives from the region and beyond, which was held in Rovinj and gathered more than 80 speakers from the public, private and academic sectors. It is a data centre with a capacity of one gigawatt that would enable the employment of several thousand people during construction and later. In addition to the technological components, the construction of a 500-megawatt solar power plant is planned. With the project whose start is planned for 2027 and the start of the centre’s operation in 2029, Croatia will rank at the very top of the European and world technology industry because the latest solutions open up the possibility of development in wider application, Andabak said.
“We decided on putting it in Topusko because there we have land where it’s possible to realise a project that will not harm nature and the environment. By building a solid and high-quality network we will create the conditions for stable and safe power supply without impact on the environment, which has also been confirmed by a study,” Andabak emphasised. He added that the centre will exploit its own wells and use its own water sources and its own solution for cooling the system.
The potential of empty land
“There are solutions that I carry from childhood which say that when everyone does their part of the work, then everything is done simply,” Andabak said. He added that he has dealt with many things, and only a year ago he began to think about data centres. He also explained how the whole idea came about, and it started with livestock farming and sheep. “Back during the nineties, Croatia was home to a million sheep, and now that number is in the thousands. When you see data like that, you ask yourself how to utilise that empty land and potential,” Andabak said and added that solar first came to mind. As he stated, the area is very interesting in all segments, from cooling to energy supply.
Locals in Topusko have been vehemently against the giant Pantheon data centre, however, and concerns remain for the environment and for water usage regardless of reassurance that no harm will be done.
