Johor residents protest data centre over heat, dust, and water concerns; ministry to review project, stressing alignment with green energy goals.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability will examine concerns raised by residents in Johor following a recent protest over a data centre project in Gelang Patah, Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said today.
Responding to a question at a press conference about reports that residents were experiencing higher temperatures and potential water shortages, Arthur said the ministry would first need to assess the situation.
“We will have to look into that,” he said.
He acknowledged that data centres are energy-intensive facilities.
“Data centres have high energy requirements. Under our new energy transition roadmap, we need to adopt greener and more renewable energy sources,” he said.
Arthur stressed that if Malaysia is to operate large-scale data centres, they must be aligned with green energy goals to support the country’s carbon neutrality ambitions.
“If we are to operate big centres such as this, which need high energy, we need to ensure that we are in line with green energy so that we can achieve carbon neutrality,” he added, noting that the transition would take time.
“It is a long-term plan. It is not something that can be done in the short term.”
The issue drew national attention on Feb 7 when more than 50 residents protested outside a data centre construction site in Johor over dust pollution and possible water supply disruptions — the first such protest linked to Malaysia’s booming data centre sector.
Representing nearly 1,000 residents from four housing estates in Gelang Patah, the group raised concerns about the project’s proximity to homes.
The facility, located less than a kilometre from residential areas, is being developed for China’s Zdata Technologies. Developers did not meet the protesters, who dispersed after approximately 90 minutes.
Malaysia has become Southeast Asia’s leading data centre hub, attracting global tech giants such as Oracle, Amazon, Alibaba, and ByteDance, with Johor approving RM164.45 billion in investments as of mid-2025.
However, the project’s close proximity to housing areas has sparked renewed scrutiny over environmental safeguards and sustainability.
The Sun Malaysia
