Malaysia Balances Data Centre Growth With Responsible Water, Energy Management -- Fadillah

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is proactively managing high water usage by reviewing tariff structures for heavy industries and promoting recycled water and district cooling technologies, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. 

He said this is in line with the nation’s ambition to become a regional data centre (DC) hub. 

“This ensures that growth remains responsible and sustainability remains at the heart of progress,” he said in his opening speech at the Third Sustainability Environment Asia 2025 conference here today.

It was previously reported that the National Sustainable Data Centre Framework was expected to be unveiled last month, detailing the implementation of data centre development.

A dedicated water tariff for DCs was among the measures expected to be introduced in the framework.

The Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) had previously agreed to set a specific tariff of RM5.50 per cubic metre, replacing the current industrial rate.

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Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said that Malaysia has exceeded its 2025 renewable energy target ahead of schedule, reflecting the country's strong momentum.

“We are expanding solar, hydro, waste-to-energy, and green hydrogen solutions, supported by energy storage and the potential role of nuclear under the 13th Malaysia Plan, while maintaining natural gas as a transition fuel,” he said.

He reiterated that the country aspires to become a regional centre of excellence in water management by 2040, driven by innovation, digitalisation, and skilled talent.

Under the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), Malaysia is on course to achieve 70 per cent renewable energy installed capacity by 2050.

-- BERNAMA