Johor’s data centre surge unsettles Iskandar Puteri residents, some consider selling homes

JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 3 — Johor’s rapid expansion of data centres has reportedly raised concerns among residents in Iskandar Puteri over noise, environmental conditions and the potential impact of nearby infrastructure on property values.

According to Singapore’s The Straits Times , some homeowners are considering selling their properties following the construction of data centres and high-voltage transmission towers near residential neighbourhoods.

Among them is finance manager Lee Shi Qing, 38, who reportedly put her RM1 million terraced house in Eco Botanic up for sale after construction began on a nearby 64-megawatt data centre by TM Nxera, a joint venture involving Telekom Malaysia and Singtel’s Nxera.

“I do have some concerns about living close to high-voltage lines, which is part of why I’m selling,” she told the Singapore newspaper.

Johor-based property consultant Samuel Tan reportedly warned that the presence of transmission towers could discourage potential buyers, even where scientific evidence does not establish a health risk.

The concerns come as Johor recorded 4,222 unsold completed homes and 9,946 unsold serviced apartments in the first half of 2026, the highest figures nationwide, according to the National Property Information Centre.

The state currently has 65 data centre projects at various stages of approval, while its operational IT capacity has reached 1,110MW, making it the Asia-Pacific region’s third-largest data centre market after Tokyo and Singapore, according to figures cited by The Straits Times .

Residents in Nusantara Prima and Nusa Bayu have also reportedly complained about construction dust, persistent humming noises and higher temperatures, which they believe are linked to nearby data centre developments.

Nusantara Prima kindergarten operator Mohanambal Rethinam told the newspaper that enrolment had fallen from 50 children in 2025 to 20 this year, with some parents expressing concerns about the surrounding environment.

Another resident, Nooraini Jaafar, 68, reportedly expressed concern that proximity to a data centre could make her terraced home harder to sell, despite its estimated value rising from RM400,000 in 2014 to RM600,000.

However, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia professor Mohd Fadhil Md Din cautioned against assuming that transmission lines posed a health risk to residents living hundreds of metres away.

“Where residences are genuinely 200m to 300m away, the scientific evidence would not support a blanket conclusion that residents are experiencing dangerous EMF exposure or that relocation is required on health grounds alone,” he told The Straits Times .

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新山，11月3日讯——据报道，柔佛州数据中心的快速扩张引发了依斯干达公主城居民对噪音、环境状况以及附近基础设施对房产价值的潜在影响的担忧。

据新加坡《海峡时报》报道，由于数据中心和高压输电塔在住宅区附近建设，一些业主正在考虑出售他们的房产。

其中包括 38 岁的财务经理李诗青，据报道，在马来西亚电信和新加坡电信旗下 Nxera 合资企业 TM Nxera 开始在附近建造一座 64 兆瓦的数据中心后，她将自己在 Eco Botanic 价值 100 万令吉的排屋挂牌出售。

“我确实对住在高压线附近有些担忧，这也是我卖房的部分原因，”她告诉新加坡报纸。

据报道，柔佛州房地产顾问 Samuel Tan 警告说，即使没有科学证据表明存在健康风险，输电塔的存在也可能阻碍潜在买家。

据国家房地产信息中心的数据显示，柔佛州在 2026 年上半年有 4​​222 套已竣工但未售出的房屋和 9946 套未售出的服务式公寓，均为全国最高数字，这引发了人们的担忧。

据《海峡时报》报道，该州目前有 65 个数据中心项目处于不同的审批阶段，其运营 IT 容量已达到 1110 兆瓦，使其成为继东京和新加坡之后亚太地区第三大数据中心市场。

据报道，努桑塔拉普里马和努沙巴尤的居民也抱怨建筑灰尘、持续不断的嗡嗡声和较高的气温，他们认为这些都与附近的数据中心开发有关。

Nusantara Prima 幼儿园的经营者 Mohanambal Rethinam 告诉报社，入学人数已从 2025 年的 50 名儿童下降到今年的 20 名，一些家长对周围的环境表示担忧。

据报道，另一位居民，68 岁的 Nooraini Jaafar 表示，她担心靠近数据中心可能会使她的排屋更难出售，尽管其估价已从 2014 年的 40 万令吉上涨至 60 万令吉。

然而，马来西亚工艺大学教授莫哈末·法迪尔·莫哈末·丁警告说，不要想当然地认为输电线路会对居住在数百米外的居民构成健康风险。

“如果居民住所距离电磁场确实有 200 米到 300 米之遥，那么科学证据不足以得出居民正在遭受危险的电磁场暴露，或者仅仅出于健康原因就需要搬迁的结论，”他告诉《海峡时报》。

政府将考虑对《儿童法》进行修订，以解决对未成年罪犯无限期拘留的问题。

马来西亚国际贸易及工业部表示，安华和佐哈里率领的贸易代表团有望带来595亿令吉的潜在投资。

俄罗斯空袭乌克兰，造成26人死亡，给和平希望带来新的打击。

马来西亚海关总署逮捕1733人，查获价值8256万令吉的跨境犯罪赃物