Malaysia's government looks at data centre power and water needs

The question of powering and cooling data centres is continuing to make headlines, with news that in one Asia-Pacific country they could need more power by 2040 than Malaysia uses annually now.

More precisely, the country’s Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (Petra) is projecting data centre electricity demand to reach 12.9GW by 2030 and rise to 20.9GW by 2040.

Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has said that, with this in mind, the Jawatankuasa Perancangan dan Pelaksanaan Pembekalan Elektrik dan Tarif (JPPPET), established to plan, coordinate and identify electricity supply requirements, has approved a power projection for 2024 to 2050, encompassing the development of new gas-based generation capacity and an increase in renewable energy to meet demand.

As news service MSN points out, several existing power plants have been identified for phased operational extensions from 2025 to 2029, with additional new generation capacity in 2026 and 2027 using rapid generation concepts such as co-generation, open cycle gas turbines (OCGT) and other suitable technologies, according to the minister.

Fadillah did add that the government is committed to meeting the requirements of supporting the growth of the data centre industry in the country, particularly in ensuring that the nation’s water supply and electrical energy resources can be supplied adequately, sustainably, and at rates that users can afford. For example, the ministry is continuing renewable energy programmes to increase generation and data centre access to green energy supplies. 

In addiiton, the ministry is studying special water tariffs and mechanisms for sharing capital expenditure for water infrastructure by data centres, to improve water usage efficiency.

State governments are being advised to examine requirements so that data centres are zoned, use district cooling systems and prioritise the use of recycled water. State governments are also being advised to ensure the adequacy of raw water sources before any data centre development approval is granted.