Bangkok Halts New Data Center Permits Amid Public Concerns

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has announced a temporary halt on issuing new permits for data center construction, responding to public concerns. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, alongside officials from the Ministry of Energy, Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA), and Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), briefed the press on the situation and future directives. The BMA is addressing public anxieties, particularly those surrounding data center developments near hospitals. Currently, Bangkok hosts approximately 30-40 data centers, including established private systems and public cloud services. For new, large-scale, standalone commercial data centers, six applications were submitted between 2021 and 2022. Three have been approved in 2022-2023, while the remaining three are on hold pending review of relevant standards. Regarding concerns about diesel fuel storage for emergency generators at a facility in Soi Ramkhamhaeng 28, a representative from the Ministry of Energy clarified that the permitted storage volume is approximately 200,000 liters, not the reportedly over 400,000 liters. Exceeding this limit constitutes illegal operation, punishable by up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both. The Ministry of Energy has also decided to temporarily suspend new permits for emergency generator fuel storage facilities for data centers until a new, clear set of control guidelines is established by the Data Center Board. Additionally, the BMA will collaborate with the Department of Business Development to conduct thorough inspections of all 56 facilities in Bangkok that store fuel for self-use, ensuring public safety. Officials from MEA confirmed that data centers in Bangkok are not exceptionally large compared to those in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), typically requiring around 20 megawatts of power and consuming approximately 8 megawatts. They assured that dedicated power circuits are in place, preventing any impact on public power supply. MWA stated that major data centers in Bangkok consume an average of about 7,800 cubic meters of water per month, which is less than large shopping malls (30,000-40,000 cubic meters/month) and major hospitals (20,000 cubic meters/month), thus posing no threat to the current water supply sufficiency. Governor Chadchart acknowledged that past legislation had loopholes, as data centers, being a new technology, lacked a specific definition, leading some operators to apply for construction permits under the guise of warehouses, bypassing environmental impact assessment (EIA) or factory regulations. However, with the official definition of a data center established by the government on August 13, 2024, the BMA and relevant agencies will use this as a basis to revise building codes, EIA requirements, and city zoning plans to better suit current business models and enhance public safety. Currently, the BMA has received two main types of complaints regarding data centers: concerns from residents near the Rama 9 Hospital project and noise disturbances from nighttime testing of emergency generators. The latter has been addressed by instructing operators to conduct tests during daytime hours. Source: INN News