JOHOR BARU: Johor will ensure the development of data centres in the state does not strain its water resources, says Johor executive councillor Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh.
The state public works, transport, infrastructure and communications committee chairman said the Johor government had also set up a technical committee to evaluate each data centre application it receives.
“Johor is the only state in Malaysia that has established a dedicated technical committee specifically to evaluate data centre applications,” he said in a statement here.
He said the committee would question data centre developers about the Water Usage Efficiency (WUE) they have adopted and the amount of water required for the entire development.
“Johor has set a prerequisite that the allowable WUE must be below 1.8, which is the same standard applied in Singapore. Approval will still depend on the adequacy of the available water supply,” he said.
He added that many cooling technologies have WUE values below 1.8, and some do not require water. However, if a data centre still requires water for server cooling, the committee will direct the data centre consultant to consider alternative water sources.
“In some cases, data centre operators are required to use reclaimed water, which is treated at sewage treatment plants and further processed at reclaimed water treatment facilities,” he said.
He noted that data centres are also required to collaborate with Johor Special Water (JSW) to supply alternative water sources for their cooling towers without affecting existing treated water supplies.
