Thai Minister Advances Environmental Standards for Data Centers
Thailand’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Suchatha Chomglin, convened a meeting to draft environmental standards for data centers, focusing on electricity, water, and backup fuel use. The proposed Code of Practice aims to ensure data center growth aligns with environmental protection and public safety. The ministry pledged to oversee implementation so that development remains sustainable and community‑friendly.
On October 9 at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Minister Suchatha Chomglin chaired the first meeting of the Environmental Sub‑committee under the Data Center Business Policy Committee, with Dr. Rawiwan Phooridech, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, as vice‑chair, and Banrak Saemthong, Secretary‑General of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, as committee member and secretary, together with other sub‑committee members.
After the meeting, Minister Suchatha said the data center sector is growing steadily and plays a key role in the country’s digital economy, so promoting investment must go hand‑in‑hand with protecting natural resources, the environment, and people’s quality of life. The meeting reviewed a draft Code of Practice for data center operators aimed at preventing and reducing environmental impacts by setting minimum measures on electricity use, water consumption, environmental management, and the storage and handling of backup fuel, so that data center operations become standardized, prudent, and able to control risks that could affect the environment and the public.
He added that developing data centers is important for the nation’s economy and growth, but that growth must go together with environmental responsibility, and clear standards must be set from the start—covering electricity use, water use, backup fuel management, and impact monitoring—to assure the public that economic development will not burden natural resources and the environment.
The minister stressed that operational guidelines need to be clear, including the size of data centers, with people as the priority, emphasizing communication to alleviate public concerns, and requiring coordination with relevant agencies so that state bodies overseeing environmental quality jointly communicate with the public. Details must be carefully considered to provide a framework for investors without hindering overall investment and economic growth.
He noted that the draft Code of Practice will serve as an important framework for preventing and reducing environmental impacts from data center operations, and the meeting will gather information, opinions, and suggestions from concerned agencies and experts to refine the draft into a complete, comprehensive, and workable set of rules.
"The Ministry will fully carry out its supervisory role to ensure that Thailand’s data center development grows in quality, is environmentally friendly, and can coexist sustainably with communities," Minister Suchatha concluded.
Once the draft Code of Practice is finalized, it will be submitted to the Data Center Business Policy Committee for further action.
