VNExpress-Sept 20
Malaysian billionaire Francis Yeoh’s YTL Power International is developing more than 5.2 gigawatts of gas-fired power plants across Southeast Asia as AI data centers drive electricity demand. YTL Power has not disclosed the investment required, but analysts estimate the projects could cost more than $10.5 billion, according to Forbes. The projects are planned for Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam over the next few years. Once completed by 2030, they would bring the company’s total installed power generation capacity to nearly 11 gigawatts. The expansion comes as YTL Power and its partner Ganda Power secured four additional gas turbines from Germany’s Siemens Energy, bringing the total number reserved to seven. YTL Power said in a September statement that the turbines would support power generation projects in Malaysia and elsewhere in the region with a combined capacity of more than 5.25 gigawatts. It said rising electricity demand is being driven by industrial expansion, electrification and the rapid development of data centers and artificial intelligence. Francis Yeoh, chairman of YTL Corp. Malaysia is already facing sharply rising power demand from its booming data center industry. Data centers accounted for a record 9.3% of the country’s electricity consumption in the second week of August, up from an average of 7% this year, Reuters reported. Malaysia will need an additional 9 gigawatts of gas-fired generation capacity by 2032 as data center demand grows and the country gradually phases out a coal-fired power, Economy Minister Akmal Nasir said in September. The country has become Southeast Asia’s fastest growing data center hub, attracting billions of dollars in investment from global technology companies. Read more at:
