BANGKOK, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) will screen data center projects against a four-pillar framework covering benefits to the country, energy security, water resources, and environmental impact, a government spokesperson said on Monday.
According to the BOI, between 2024 and 2026, a total of 42 data center projects have been approved for investment promotion across the Southeast Asian nation, with a combined IT load of 3,400 megawatts and a total investment of 750 billion baht (about 22.73 billion U.S. dollars).
Deputy government spokesperson Lalida Periswiwatana said the administration aims to generate high-skilled jobs, develop Thai engineers and technicians, pull small and medium-sized enterprises into the supply chain, and expand access to cloud services and artificial intelligence tools for local firms, startups, and universities.
To keep costs off consumers, the National Energy Policy Council has approved a separate electricity tariff category for data centers that reflects the cost of supplying power and expanding the grid, plus security deposits on power connection applications to screen for project readiness, Lalida said in a statement.
On water, authorities are studying tariffs for large-volume users, incentives for low-water cooling systems, and dry-season water management measures, Lalida said.
She noted that the environmental criteria include town planning, fire prevention, heat, noise, wastewater, and full life cycle impacts, with agencies compiling a national grid capacity map as well as water and irrigation maps for zoning guidance.
The screening criteria and zone designation guidelines are being drafted to match a data center business policy committee's mechanisms, the spokeswoman added, as the government seeks to balance drawing future-tech investments, generating economic benefit, and protecting resources and quality of life. ■
