Thailand approves separate legal definition of data centre buildings
New rules will cover building safety and a transition period for existing operators, alongside five size categories and lower rates for clean electricity.
- Thailand is establishing new regulations that will classify data centers into five distinct sizes based on their electricity consumption.
- As part of the new rules, data centers will be legally reclassified as their own specific category, separate from the existing "large buildings" classification.
- The size classification will be used to align requirements for safety standards, structural design, and the capacity of backup fuel and water reserves.
- The new framework will also introduce a differentiated electricity pricing structure to promote clean energy, offering a special lower rate for operators using renewable sources.
Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee gave an update on Thursday (October 1, 2026) following a meeting of the national Data Center Business Policy Committee, also known as the data centre board, chaired by Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas.
Polapee chairs the subcommittee overseeing data centre building areas, locations and characteristics.
He said the meeting had approved a change to the legal definition, with the term “data centre” to be used instead of grouping such facilities under the existing “large buildings” category.
The subcommittee is scheduled to meet the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning at the Ministry of Interior to finalise details of robust requirements covering safety, structural design, water reserves and backup fuel storage tanks for emergency power systems.
The government will set a transition period for operators that have already invested in construction or begun providing services if they do not meet the forthcoming criteria.
This will give them a fair and reasonable period to adapt, balancing industry regulation with the need to maintain the investment environment.
Five sizes based on power use and lower rates under direct power purchase agreements (Direct PPA)
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said the meeting had agreed to classify data centres into five size categories, up from three, primarily according to electricity consumption.
The classification is intended to align with the amount of electricity drawn into buildings, safety standards and reserve fuel tank sizes.
Chaichanok added that the new criteria would focus on promoting clean energy use in line with net zero goals through a differentiated electricity pricing structure with two main rates:
- A special rate for operators purchasing clean electricity through the Direct PPA system or using renewable energy, providing an incentive to reduce carbon emissions.
- A standard rate for operators drawing electricity from the regular supply system, which would involve higher electricity costs.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is also working with 12 government agencies out of a total of 28 to accelerate data collection for a data map, or “central dashboard”, in an open data format.
This would give the public and investors systematic, transparent access to information on permit applications and energy use.
The aim is to finalise the full criteria framework from all subcommittees by the end of next week, before submitting it to the main committee and then the Cabinet.
These steps are to be completed within one month, in line with Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti’s policy.
