Malaysia reviews water tariffs for heavy industries and promotes renewable energy to support sustainable data centre development, says deputy PM.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is proactively managing high water usage by reviewing tariff structures for heavy industries and promoting recycled water and district cooling technologies.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said this aligns with the nation’s ambition to become a regional data centre 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.
A dedicated water tariff for data centres was among measures expected in the National Sustainable Data Centre Framework.
The Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation had agreed to set a specific tariff of RM5.50 per cubic metre, replacing the current industrial rate.
Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said Malaysia has exceeded its 2025 renewable energy target ahead of schedule.
“We are expanding solar, hydro, waste-to-energy, and green hydrogen solutions,” he added.
Energy storage and potential nuclear power under the 13th Malaysia Plan will support these initiatives while maintaining natural gas as a transition fuel.
The country aims to become a regional centre of excellence in water management by 2040 through innovation, digitalisation, and skilled talent development.
Under the National Energy Transition Roadmap, Malaysia is on course to achieve 70% renewable energy installed capacity by 2050. – Bernama
