Johor Launches Malaysia’s First Large-scale Water Reclamation Plant for Data Centres

Johor has made a groundbreaking move by launching the country’s first large-scale water reclamation plant specifically designed to support data centre operations. Located in Ulu Tiram, the facility marks a significant step in addressing water sustainability challenges within the tech industry.

Bridge Data Centres (BDC) President Eric Fan revealed that the project, initiated approximately 10 months ago, includes a comprehensive pipeline system that channels municipal wastewater directly to the plant for treatment.

“All municipal wastewater is transported to our treatment facility via dedicated pipelines, where it’s processed into high-grade purified water for our data centre’s use,” he explained during a site visit to the plant in Desa Cemerlang, Ulu Tiram. The visit was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

This is a demonstration project that not only supports BDC’s operations but also serves as a model for the Malaysian and Johor governments in tackling water supply challenges in the industrial sector. To our knowledge, this is the first project of its kind and scale in Malaysia, purpose-built to supply reclaimed water for data centre cooling.

Eric Fan, Bridge Data Centres (BDC) President

Also present at the event were Johor Chief Minister Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Johor Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee Chairman, Lee Ting Han.

Fan emphasized that, beyond the plant itself, the project involved constructing a dedicated pipeline linking it to the Pelangi Indah Sewage Treatment Plant. The facility is now in its final stages of testing and commissioning.

“This initiative is about sustainability—using treated wastewater that would otherwise be discharged, instead of drawing fresh water from rivers,” he said.

Once fully operational, the facility will receive four million litres of treated effluent daily from Indah Water Konsortium’s JB-Pelangi Sewage Treatment Plant (JBR005). Johor Special Water Sdn Bhd (JSW) is responsible for managing the delivery of this treated water and liaising with local authorities to secure the necessary regulatory approvals.

The reclaimed water will be used exclusively in BDC’s data centre cooling systems, significantly reducing reliance on traditional water sources.