Johor is exploring plans to channel excess treated water from DayOne’s water treatment plant to the public, potentially adding to the state’s water supply as water demand rises alongside its economic expansion. The proposal comes as DayOne’s treatment plant processes raw water from Sungai Tebrau, which has a flow of about 80 million liters per day (MLD) while its data center consumes only about 10 MLD, raising the possibility that the excess treated water could be made available to residents.
Chief Minister Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, has yesterday requested DayOne, a Singapore-based hyperscale data center provider, Perbadanan Darul Ta’zim (PDT), a government-linked company, and water operator Ranhill SAJ to hold an urgent technical meeting to assess how the treated water could be distributed for public use.
“… I would like to request that a technical meeting be held as soon as possible to explore and determine how this technology can be utilised to ensure that more treated water can be supplied to the public, in line with Johor’s growing economy,” Onn Hafiz reportedly said as reported by Bernama, Malaysia’s state news agency.
“As for electricity supply, as Jamie (DayOne’s chief executive officer Jamie Khoo) explained earlier, they are working with Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) on the use of renewable energy, solar panels and other initiatives to ensure sufficient power for AI (artificial intelligence) operations here.”
According to local reports, Onn Hafiz in his speech at the DayOne Kempas Tech Park Water Treatment Plant Phase Two expansion in Johor, had reportedly said, “DayOne is using polluted water from Sungai Tebrau, treating it and using it for its own operations instead of relying on treated water meant for the public. I have been informed that Sungai Tebrau has a water flow of about 80 million litres per day, while DayOne uses a maximum of about 10 MLD. There is also surplus water from the data centre that could potentially be supplied to the public with an additional treatment process.”
DayOne has invested about RM 25 billion (US$ 6.2 billion) in Johor as of September, with the figure expected to reach RM 28 billion (US$ 6.9 billion) by the end of 2026. The state would continue reviewing data center and AI investments through a technical committee to ensure they serve the interests of Johor and its residents.