Rama IX data centre faces action over 200,000-litre diesel
Officials ordered the fuel removed after complaints of oil-like smells, while penalties could include two years in prison or a 200,000-baht fine
- The Department of Energy Business is filing a police complaint against a Rama IX data centre for illegally storing over 200,000 litres of diesel without a permit.
- The action was prompted by complaints from local residents about a persistent oil-like smell that caused health issues, including dizziness and vomiting.
- The data centre operator was ordered to remove all the diesel and now faces potential penalties of up to two years in prison and a 200,000 baht fine.
- Following the incident, the Energy Ministry plans to propose stricter zoning criteria, new safety controls, and wider inspections for data centres in urban areas.
The Department of Energy Business plans to file a police complaint on Thursday (September 3, 2026) against the operator of a data centre on Rama IX Road over the alleged unlicensed storage of more than 200,000 litres of diesel.
Thitipat Chotidechachainan, secretary to the energy minister, inspected the facility next to Rama 9 Hospital after residents and nearby shop operators complained about an oil-like smell that they said had persisted for more than two months.
The complainants said the smell intensified during heavy rain, causing some people to experience dizziness and vomiting. They also raised safety concerns because the facility is in a densely populated urban area.
Department inspectors found diesel stored for emergency generators in tanks with a combined capacity exceeding 200,000 litres. Officials said the facility had not obtained the permit required under fuel-control legislation.
The operator was ordered to remove all the diesel. A subsequent inspection found that the tanks had been emptied.
Complaint planned under fuel law
The department is preparing to lodge a complaint under Section 65 of the Fuel Control Act B.E. 2542 (1999).
If an offence is established, the law provides for imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.
The Energy Ministry and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have adopted a policy against permitting data centres to establish emergency-generator fuel-storage facilities in densely populated urban communities.
Urban zoning and wider inspections proposed
The Energy Ministry will present further measures at the first meeting of the Data Centre Business Policy Committee on Friday (September 4).
It will propose that the National Economic and Social Development Council work with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and electricity and water authorities to accelerate the development of zoning criteria for data centres.
The authorities will also be asked to review building, environmental and safety controls to ensure that future developments suit their locations and do not adversely affect nearby communities.
Thitipat said the ministry was preparing wide-ranging inspections of urban data centres in areas where complaints had been received or unauthorised fuel storage was suspected.
Any suspected violations would be investigated under the law.
