The demand for data centres in Selangor has not placed pressure on the domestic water supply, including in densely populated areas, according to state officials [1, 2, 3]. The Selangor state government is focused on developing data centre infrastructure sustainably while balancing environmental needs and residents' well-being [1, 2, 3].
A key part of this effort involves pre-investment coordination meetings held by the state government with local authorities, technical agencies, and utility providers. These meetings assess every proposed data centre project early on. "Through this approach, aspects related to electricity and water supply requirements, noise control, air emissions management, compliance with environmental regulations and infrastructure readiness can be identified and coordinated before any project is approved," said Ng Sze Han [1, 2, 3].
The Federal Government also supports this approach through the Data Centre Task Force (DCTF), which conducts early-stage screening to ensure efficient and sustainable use of resources in data centre projects [1, 2, 3].
Water supply remains stable as Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) currently holds a treated water reserve margin of 16.23%, equal to 1,055 million litres per day (MLD). This reserve provides sufficient surplus to meet the needs of existing users, data centres, and new developments [1, 2, 3]. Developers must build required water infrastructure, such as distribution pipelines from suitable reservoirs and storage tanks with at least three days of storage capacity, to avoid impacting current consumers [1, 2, 3].
Air Selangor also actively monitors future water demand for data centres. Ng Sze Han noted, "Air Selangor also continuously reviews future water requirements for data centres, with projected future demand estimated at 632 MLD" [3].
Beyond environmental and resource considerations, the state government mandates that data centre investments include a minimum of 30% local content to support the regional economy [2, 3].
On August 6, Ng Sze Han reiterated this position during the Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting, assuring lawmakers that data centre water demand does not threaten the domestic water reserve margin [1, 2, 3].
