Energy minister orders Bangkok data-centre safety audit

Bangkok’s data centres are to undergo a citywide compliance review as the government develops a unified regulatory framework covering fuel storage, building safety, environmental impacts and the use of water and electricity.

Energy Minister Akanat Promphan told the House of Representatives that ministry inspectors had found fuel tanks with capacity exceeding 150,000 litres without the required licence. A police complaint had been filed to initiate legal proceedings, while operators found without permits could face up to two years in prison.

The matter was raised during the House’s live question session by People’s Party Bangkok MP Suphanat Minchaiynunt. Second Deputy House Speaker Lertsak Pattanachaikul chaired the sitting.

Suphanat asked how authorities were approving and supervising data centres in central Bangkok, particularly facilities storing large quantities of fuel. He also questioned whether building-safety requirements, community protections and environmental safeguards were being enforced in accordance with the law. Similar concerns have recently centred on permitting gaps and the classification of some data centres as warehouses.

Citywide checks expected to take months

Akanat said he had sent officials to inspect the facility the previous week and would now order checks at every data centre in Bangkok.

The problem had accumulated over three to four years, he said, with fuel tanks at some facilities dating back to 2020. The full inspection process was expected to take several months.

Akanat said he had discussed interim suspension measures with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt while the review was conducted. Bangkok authorities and the Energy Ministry have separately paused relevant new approvals pending clearer national standards.

Cabinet panel to coordinate fragmented rules

The government has already moved to centralise oversight. On August 5, 2026, the Cabinet approved a Prime Minister’s Office regulation establishing a data-centre policy committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas.

The committee is intended to reorganise the regulatory system so that data-centre investment contributes to the economy without imposing unacceptable environmental costs or placing excessive pressure on public resources.

Akanat noted that data centres fall within the responsibilities of several ministries and agencies because their operations involve construction permits, building controls, fuel storage, environmental impacts and utility consumption.

The government will therefore need to coordinate standards across those areas rather than regulate each issue separately.

Backup fuel in communities faces policy test

Akanat said that, in his personal view, storing large quantities of fuel for backup electricity generation should not be permitted at data centres located in Bangkok communities.

The Energy Ministry has also stated that new emergency fuel-storage facilities for data centres in urban communities should not be authorised until appropriate rules and zoning criteria are established.

Any revised framework should require operators to demonstrate that their projects deliver economic value without harming residents, he said. It should also establish appropriate criteria for water and electricity use.

Akanat added that some regulatory gaps would require new standards, but other concerns could be addressed simply by enforcing laws already in force.