A post by @FirstSquawk on X.

Thailand’s finance minister said data centres will be subject to environmental protection requirements, signaling that power- and water-intensive facilities will face added compliance conditions as the country courts new digital infrastructure investment. The statement did not specify which standards, thresholds or enforcement mechanisms will apply, nor whether existing and planned projects will face different treatment. The move matters because data-centre siting decisions increasingly hinge on electricity supply, cooling-water availability and emissions rules, and Southeast Asia is competing aggressively for hyperscale and AI-related capacity. What to watch next is the release of detailed criteria, the treatment of projects already approved under Thailand’s investment incentive schemes, and whether operators absorb higher compliance costs or shift new capacity to rival markets.