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‘Reusing estates for data centres needs monitoring’

Talks to seek resolution over Felda land dispute KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu and federal governments and the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) have begun talks to resolve land issues in the state. In a Facebook post, State Agriculture, Basic Agro-based Industry, Food Security, and Commodities Committee chairman Datuk Dr Azman Ibrahim said discussions commenced on Thursday afternoon. “A meeting was held between the state government, Treasury secretary-general, a Felda board member and the Felda director-general,” he said. Azman added that the state government is pursuing a peaceful resolution to the matter, emphasising that successful dialogue requires compromise. “In any discussion, there must be give and-take. There must be mutual respect for each other’s jurisdiction and a fair, just evaluation of every issue,” he added. Azman, who also chairs the Task Force Committee for Felda land settlement, clarified that the Notice of Warning for Unauthorised Occupation under Section 425 of the National Land Code, issued earlier, will remain in effect until a resolution is reached. Earlier, Communications Minister and Madani government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had confirmed the federal government had previously settled all necessary financial requirements for the Felda land issue in Terengganu. He said the Treasury secretary-general (Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican) had held discussions with the Terengganu government to verify the settlement. Last Sunday, the Terengganu government issued notices prohibiting trespass on Felda-operated land across 10 plantations, involving approximately 15,000ha. The action follows the state’s claim that the land has been developed for over 40 years without the payment of premiums, taxes or profit-sharing. – Bernama Sarawak supplies power to Sabah KUCHING: Sarawak has started supplying electricity to Sabah through its power grid, marking a significant step towards realising a unified Borneo Grid, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Abang Openg said. “Two days ago, we started supplying power through the Sarawak grid to Sabah. Now we can form the Borneo Grid because we are supplying to West Kalimantan, and we have investments in North Kalimantan,” he said at a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between the Bintulu Development Authority and Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd in Bintulu yesterday. Abang Johari said Sarawak’s role is expanding beyond Borneo, starting with Singapore to support the republic’s clean energy transition. “I was in Singapore with the prime minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), and we are going to supply one gigawatt of energy to Singapore. It is not only energy that we are supplying (but) green energy.” On another note, Abang Johari said advances in solar technology and energy storage systems are expected to transform the global renewable energy landscape. – Bernama

“It needs critical thinking, it needs strategic thinking, it needs thinking outside the box. We have to develop our human capital, match this human capital with our natural capital, and transform our economy as a very competitive economy in this region,” he said. Abang Johari also shared his aspirations to see SEDC pioneer new economic activities that would uplift the standard of living of Sarawakians. He said SEDC is well-positioned to take part in the state’s emerging industries, particularly in renewable energy, algae based fuels and other technology-driven ventures. The corporation could spearhead the development of algae as a new green fuel for Sarawak. – Bernama areas, where it is more economically viable to urbanise the land rather than continue commodity planting. “As a start, data centres should disclose where their water comes from, how much they expect to use and their projected greenhouse gas emissions over their full lifespan. “Once operating, they should publish daily water use and emissions data,” he said. Universiti Putra Malaysia Faculty of Forestry and Environment senior lecturer Dr Mohd Yusoff Ishak said using already cleared land could reduce pressure on forests, but only if new developments are carefully planned. He said some palm oil companies are using parts of their estates to host data centres and solar farms, which could help meet the growing demand for land and renewable energy as Malaysia’s digital economy expands. “Solar farms on plantation land could support clean energy, but data centres come with heavier environmental demands. “They require large amounts of electricity, major cooling systems and a steady water supply. “Without proper controls, these projects can cause water stress, heat buildup, noise and pressure on nearby communities.” Mohd Yusoff said new data centres must ensure that they use advanced cooling systems, reclaimed water and publish transparent water-use reporting. “Data centres affect more than electricity, they influence water, heat, materials, land use and local communities. “The conversion of unused oil palm land could also represent the loss of potential biodiversity rehabilitation sites within plantations,” he said. Mohd Yusoff called for a whole ecosystem approach to ensure the digital economy does not come at the cost of environmental stability or community wellbeing. Malaysia is seeing more major palm oil companies repurpose parts of their estates for AI-related data centres and large-scale solar farms. This comes as the data centre sector rapidly expands, attracting about US$34 billion (RM141.8 billion) in investments from global tech giants.

Projects at oil palm plantations could cause water stress and heat buildup, say experts

PETALING JAYA: While repurposing oil palm plantations for artificial intelligence (AI) data centres and solar farms could support renewable energy, environmental NGO RimbaWatch stressed that careful monitoring and transparency are needed to avoid environment and social risks. Its director Adam Farhan said with free, prior and informed consent from local communities, converting estates, particularly oil palm plantations with low biodiversity value, could be a positive step toward reducing reliance on fossil fuels. “However, this should be used to primarily support grid decarbonisation, rather than providing asset-level power supply for data centres, and this also does not address concerns surrounding the high water usage of data centres.” Adam said if the focus is solely on expanding renewable energy capacity for the grid, it could be considered a form of real climate action, but warned that using the estates primarily to power data centres Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com

may risk greenwashing. He also highlighted that Malaysia has limited space, energy and water to host these centres, and has not yet set a fair-share carbon budget aligned with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target. “Existing industries may already push Malaysia beyond this budget, let alone fossil fuel-guzzling data centres,” he said. Adam said Malaysia’s hot climate means data centres require substantial cooling capacity, which drives high water consumption. A 100MW facility can consume about 4.16 million litres daily, roughly the needs of a town of 10,000 people, according to Sahabat Alam Malaysia. “If water becomes scarce, who gets priority – local communities or high income companies?” He pointed out that the risk of triggering new land clearing by turning plantations into data centre zones depends on the specific circumstances. He said data centres are not as land-intensive as oil palm, and many of the plantations being replaced are in suburban

Mohd Yusoff said new data centres must ensure that they use advanced cooling systems, reclaimed water and publish transparent water use reporting. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

AirBorneo to operate jet aircraft from July KUCHING: Sarawak-owned airline AirBorneo will begin operating jet aircraft from July next year as part of the state’s plan to strengthen regional air connectivity, said Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Abang Openg. destinations, while Transport Minister Anthony Loke, who was present during the meeting, had given AirBorneo the green light for the proposal.

He said Sarawak also intends to expand beyond Singapore with proposed services to Jeju Island in South Korea, which is a Unesco Global Geopark, connecting it with the Sarawak Delta Geopark, which also achieved similar status in September this year. Abang Johari said the operations of AirBorneo would complement efforts by SEDC, which has been involved in Sarawak’s hospitality, infrastructure and tourism development over the last five decades. He said SEDC must continue evolving by embracing innovation and technology to meet Sarawak’s future economic needs.

He said the airline would commence initial operations next month using turboprop aircraft before transitioning to jet services. “In July, we will begin jet operations,” he said at the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) 2025 corporate dinner here on Friday, adding that the effort would enhance Sarawak’s competitiveness in the regional aviation sector. He said Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, whom he met last Thursday, welcomed Sarawak’s plan to establish direct flights between the two