Data centres could emit 44mil tonnes of carbon a year, says RimbaWatch

Data centres in Malaysia could generate nearly 44 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, equivalent to about one-fifth of the country’s emissions in 2024, says environmental group RimbaWatch.

In a press release today, the group said the amount was equivalent to the annual emissions of entire countries such as Tunisia and Guatemala.

RimbaWatch said the amount was based on estimates for 51 data centres with a combined capacity of about 7.5GW, and did not cover all 66 facilities it had mapped across Peninsular Malaysia.

The group said the actual emissions could be higher as its capacity figures were estimates, and some smaller facilities’ figures excluded energy used for cooling and other purposes.

“Bearing this in mind… it is abundantly clear that Malaysia’s approach to data centre investments negates our mitigation responsibilities and results in immense climate impacts,” it said.

RimbaWatch also pointed to the government’s plans to increase gas-fired power generation capacity by 50% to meet data centre demand, saying this contradicted calls to phase out fossil fuels.

RimbaWatch maps 66 data centres across Peninsular Malaysia

RimbaWatch said it had identified 66 data centres across six states and federal territories including Johor, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Kedah.

Johor accounted for half of the mapped facilities, with 33 located in the state, primarily in Iskandar Puteri.

Selangor and Kuala Lumpur accounted for 38% of the facilities, while the remainder were in Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Kedah.

The group said its database was intended to improve public awareness of the environmental impacts of data centre expansion and strengthen accountability over government approvals and construction.

RimbaWatch said the database included existing facilities, those under construction and planned or proposed projects. Some locations were not fully verified and were labelled as alleged locations.

RimbaWatch said some data centres were located close to residential areas, raising concerns about water shortages, noise pollution and urban heat islands.

It cited public opposition to a proposed data centre in Section 9 of Kota Damansara, which was withdrawn by its consultants following objections.

Last month, investment, trade and industry minister Johari Ghani said the government was holding back its decision on 24 new data centre applications until it was satisfied that there was sufficient water and electricity to support them without affecting other industries.

Johari told the Dewan Rakyat that the priority was to ensure that the 117 previously approved data centres could proceed before more projects were allowed.

The 117 approved data centres represented RM385.7 billion in investments and could require between 23,000MW and 23,500MW of electricity once completed, Johari said.

Of these, 55 were operating, 19 were under construction and 16 had yet to begin development. Another 27 were at various stages of development and were expected to use off-grid electricity.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.