10/06/2025

TUESDAY | JUNE 10, 2025

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Data centre boom raises energy, sustainability concerns

Singaporean held for road rage incident JOHOR BAHRU: A 40-year-old Singaporean man has been arrested for alleged road rage and vandalism involving another vehicle in the Tun Aminah area in Skudai on Sunday. North Johor Bahru police chief ACP Balveer Singh Mahindar Singh said a 31-year old local man lodged a report about the incident at 3.01pm leading a team from the criminal investigation division to detain the suspect at about 6.20pm the same day. “The complainant stated that while driving his BMW at 2.39pm in the Tun Aminah area, he was honked at by a Toyota Altis with a Singapore registration number. The driver was reportedly upset that his path was blocked. An argument followed, during which the suspect allegedly kicked the complainant’s car, causing damage. However, the complainant was not injured,” he said in a statement. The suspect, who has no prior criminal record, tested negative for drugs. He has been remanded as the case is being investigated under Section 426 of the Penal Code for mischief and property damage, and Section 509 for using insulting words or gestures. A video of the altercation, which involved two men arguing on a public road, has since been widely shared on Facebook. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Johor Bahru Utara police headquarters at 07-5563122. – Bernama Man electrocuted while picking mangoes PAPAR: A 42-year-old man died after being electrocuted while climbing a tree to pluck mangoes in Kampung Bambangan on Sunday. Papar Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) chief Rozlan Osman said an emergency call was received via MERS999 at 3.01pm, prompting a team of eight firefighters to be dispatched to the scene within seven minutes. “The victim is believed to have climbed the tree and used an iron rod to poke at the mangoes. The rod came into contact with a nearby electric cable, causing him to be electrocuted and rendered unconscious on the tree. “Firefighters then lowered the victim using a ladder and rescue rope after Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) cut off the power supply,” he said. The man was confirmed dead at the scene by a medical officer and his body was handed over to the police. The rescue operation ended at 4.29pm. – Bernama Woman loses over RM600,000 in scam KUANTAN: A 57-year-old research officer lost more than RM600,000 after falling victim to a bogus share investment scheme. Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the woman was first lured into the scheme after being added to a WhatsApp group on March 21. She initially invested RM14,000 and managed to withdraw a RM1,000 return, which boosted her confidence to continue investing. “Between April 23 and June 4, she made 28 transactions amounting to over RM600,000 to three different bank accounts using her savings,”Yahaya said in a statement yesterday. The victim became suspicious when she tried to withdraw RM50,000 but was told she needed to pay RM200,000 in service charges. Realising she had been scammed, she lodged a police report at the Rompin police headquarters. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. – Bernama

PETALING JAYA: As data centre projects surge across Malaysia amid the country’s digital transformation push, particularly to harness artificial intelligence (AI) across sectors, concerns are growing over energy efficiency and resource sustainability. Malaysian Association of Energy Service Companies president Zulkifli Zahari noted that while media reports cite potential power demands of up to 11,000 megawatts (MW) from data centres, current consumption stands at just 434.5MW. “It’s also been reported that Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has received applications from new data centres totalling 11,000MW in power demand,” he told theSun in a written response. However, he warned that the demands on the national power grid over the next 25 years could threaten Malaysia’s carbon neutrality goal for 2050. “The requirement is expected to rise to between 2,000MW and 3,000MW over the next five to 10 years, driven by Malaysia’s digital economy. “Nevertheless, this spike could strain the grid’s capacity and undermine the country’s net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target,” he cautioned. To address this, TNB is planning to expand selected power plants and implement rapid generation methods such as co-generation and open-cycle turbines. These efforts are expected to align with government plans to encourage green energy sourcing for future developments, including data centres. Touching on efficiency benchmarks, Zulkifli o Expert warns rising power demand could derail Malaysia’s net-zero goals, calls for efficiency standards and green incentives Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com IPOH: Several roads in Lumut will be closed in stages until June 15 to facilitate the Perak Madani Rakyat 2025 Programme. Manjung police chief ACP Hasbullah Abd Rahman said the road closures are to ensure smooth traffic flow for the programme, which will take place at Dataran Lumut from June 13 to 15. “One road closure that begins today starts from the junction of Jalan Iskandar Shah–Jalan Titi Panjang, near the Anak Kampung Pangkor seafood wholesaler shop, and continues until the Lumut Jetty junction,” he said in a statement yesterday. He added that the stretch will function as a one-way route until the programme ends. “Another one-way route will be created from the Jalan Nakhoda Mohamad Taib junction, next to the Nasi Ayam Bakar Restaurant Tapah Road @ Lumut, heading towards Jalan Raja Musa.” Hasbullah advised residents and road users to plan their journeys and use alternative routes to avoid traffic congestion during the closures and diversions. – Bernama Road closures in Lumut on June 15

Zulkifli warned that the demands on the national power grid over the next 25 years could threaten Malaysia’s carbon neutrality goal for 2050. – SYED AZAHAR SYED OSMAN/THESUN

encroachment on its properties, regardless of the method, as its contract with the government had already lapsed on March 31. The court further dismissed an inter partes injunction application by Hydroshoppe and Menara KL, and ordered both companies to pay RM20,000 each in costs to the government as well as to LSH Service Master Sdn Bhd, LSH Best Builders Sdn Bhd and Service Master (M) Sdn Bhd. The court fixed July 14 to hear striking-out applications filed by Fahmi and the three companies. Hydroshoppe and Menara KL had filed a breach of contract suit against the respondents, claiming that LSH Capital and its subsidiaries had induced a breach of an agreement allegedly made with the government in August 2022. The plaintiffs also alleged dishonest assistance and are seeking a declaration that the KL Tower concession awarded to LSH Service Master is void and unlawful. In addition to RM1 billion in damages, the companies are seeking the return of the concession for the iconic landmark. – Bernama delay, we risk losing out to competitors like Indonesia, which can offer geothermal powered facilities,” he said. Reports have indicated that power demand from data centres could eventually account for up to 40% of Malaysia’s installed generation capacity. Last month, Kukup assemblyman Datuk Haji Jefridin Atan voiced concern over the rise in data centre developments in Johor, warning that increased energy and water usage could stretch local utilities. Environmental group Sahabat Alam Malaysia also raised alarm over water consumption, estimating that a 100MW data centre could use up to four million litres of clean water per day. theSun has contacted the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry for comments on the concerns raised, but no response was received at press time.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday dismissed a leave application filed by the former operator of Kuala Lumpur Tower to initiate committal proceedings against seven individuals and the government. The former operator Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd and its parent company Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd had sought to cite the eight parties for contempt of court, alleging interference in ongoing legal proceedings. Judge Roz Mawar Rozain, who rejected the application, ordered the companies to pay RM25,000 in costs to the respondents, including Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. Also named as respondents were Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman, Federal Land Commissioner Datuk Muhammad Azmi Mohd Zain and Communications Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa. In her ruling, Roz Mawar said the court was not satisfied that a prima facie case existed to justify granting leave for contempt proceedings. She added that the court was also not persuaded by Hydroshoppe’s argument of noted that while many developers are targeting a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2 to 1.4, there are no regulations in Malaysia enforcing this standard. He also pointed out that most local authorities lack the technical capacity to assess data centre applications using PUE metrics. “There needs to be a formal regulatory approach, potentially under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, to introduce minimum efficiency standards and carbon thresholds. “Incentives should also be provided to support on-site renewable energy, advanced cooling systems and battery storage,” he added. Zulkifli stressed that Malaysia should not view the growth of data centres as a liability, but as a key component of its energy transition agenda. “Malaysia has the potential to become a regional hub for green data centres. But if we

High Court dismisses bid by former KL Tower operator