Thailand’s Ministry of Energy is set to file a criminal complaint against the company behind a data centre on Rama 9 Road in Bangkok, after officials found more than 200,000 litres of diesel stored there without a permit, following weeks of complaints from nearby residents and business owners about fuel-like odours.
Energy Minister’s Secretary Thitiphat Chotidechachainun visited the site, next to Rama 9 Hospital, yesterday, September 2, after receiving reports that people in the area had been smelling what they described as fuel fumes for more than two months, with the smell reportedly worsening during heavy rain.
The Department of Energy Business, which inspected the facility, said the project, developed with joint investment from a company based in East Asia, had installed tanks and stored around 200,000 litres of diesel for emergency backup generators without the required operating licence.
Officials ordered the fuel removed from the site immediately, and a follow-up inspection on the same day found it had been pumped out, with only residue remaining. Under Thailand’s Fuel Control Act B.E. 2542 (1999), storing more than 15,000 litres of fuel without authorisation is an offence carrying a prison term of up to two years, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.
The Department of Energy Business said it would file a formal police complaint at Makkasan Police Station on September 3 to pursue the case under Section 65 of the Act.
Thitiphat said the Ministry of Energy, working with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), has a clear policy against allowing fuel storage facilities for data centre backup generators in urban community areas.
She said Energy Minister Ekanat Promphan had taken a firm stance on the issue and had ordered a halt to new permits for emergency backup fuel storage facilities for data centre projects nationwide, warning that anyone found illegally storing excess fuel would face the maximum penalty under the law.
Government House confirmed the case is linked to wider concern over data centre regulation. Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said the prime minister has been closely monitoring the issue after concerns emerged that some operators may be exploiting legal loopholes, such as applying for construction permits as warehouses before installing systems and operating as data centres, a practice that can leave safety and environmental oversight incomplete.
According to the BMA, the Rama 9 site’s developer, Daria Data Center and Cloud Services Co, had received a construction notification for its “EDGNEX Data Centers BKK01” project, permitting a four-storey building with one basement level on Rama 9 Soi 6 in Huai Khwang district, covering 12,249 square metres for use as a warehouse, electronic data storage centre and office space. That approval did not extend to a separate licence required for fuel storage.
Rachada said the prime minister has appointed Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti Nititanprapas to chair a new Data Centre Policy Committee, which will hold its first meeting on September 4 to review relevant laws and regulations, close regulatory gaps, and establish standards to manage the industry’s expansion.
She said the rapid growth of the data centre sector has outpaced the government’s regulatory systems, with responsibilities currently split across multiple agencies without an overarching coordination mechanism covering building use, fuel storage, safety and community impact.
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