KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed lower on Friday amid mixed regional market performance as investors turned cautious over a possible rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and upcoming US economic data that may influence the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate decision next week. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) pared most earlier losses to settle 4.55 points easier, or 0.28 per cent, to 1,616.52 from Thursday’s close of 1,621.07. The benchmark index, which opened 0.37 of-a-point lower at 1,620.70, moved between 1,609.67 and 1,621.25 throughout the day. The broader market was negative, with decliners outpacing advancers 604 to 439. A total of 550 counters were unchanged, 1,151 untraded, and 18 suspended. Turnover declined to 3.17 billion units worth RM2.24 billion from 4.48 billion units worth RM2.75 billion yesterday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-presiden...
Malaysia Positions Johor as the Next Data Centre Capital
Khazanah Nasional’s infrastructure arm, UEM Group Bhd, is gearing up to unlock its extensive land holdings in Johor to support Malaysia’s accelerating data centre build-out. Managing director Datuk Amran Hafiz Affifudin said UEM will supply clean energy and industrial land as demand surges from hyperscalers and multinational cloud players.
Johor has rapidly become the country’s data centre hotspot, attracting RM164.45 billion in investments as of 2Q and projected to host 60% of Malaysia’s total data centre capacity by 2030. UEM Sunrise — one of Johor’s largest landowners with 4,600 acres — is in the final stages of preparing the 40-acre Gerbang Nusajaya Industrial Park, designed to run on renewable energy.
Major Green Power Investments to Support Future Loads
UEM’s clean energy arm UEM Lestra will soon break ground on a 1GW hybrid solar plant, backed by I Squared Capital and Macquarie units.
Phase 1: 500MW
Capex: RM2.5 billion
The company is also exploring industrial water treatment solutions — an increasingly critical component as modern data centres demand massive water capacity for cooling. Strengthening energy and water ecosystems is central to attracting and retaining global tech clients.
Data Centre Demand Sparks Power-Supply Race
BMI (Fitch Solutions) expects Malaysia to remain one of Asia’s top three fastest-growing data centre markets, with a steep rise in electricity needs through 2028. But the rapid expansion is pressuring existing power and land infrastructure.
Meeting hyperscalers’ requirements for clean, renewable-matched power is becoming more challenging — yet increasingly essential as operators commit to decarbonisation targets.
UEM’s Broader Green Pivot: From Utilities to Industrial Parks
UEM is shifting beyond its traditional road and property portfolio into large-scale clean-energy deployment.
Key initiatives include:
Acquisition of independent utility Nur Power, with RM1.5 billion committed to decarbonise industrial parks by 2026.
Adding solar power to complement Nur’s 350MW gas facility at Kulim Hi-Tech Park — serving firms such as Infineon Technologies and AT&S.
Exploring repowering opportunities up to 1GW, subject to regulatory approval.
Operating biogas assets via its subsidiary Cenergi in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Amran expects profit performance to improve in 2025, with stronger contributions from Sunrise and other units.
Financial Position and Future Plans
FY2024 pretax profit: RM923 million (nearly 3x YoY)
Debt-to-equity: under 40%, providing room for expansion
UEM is considering future listings of subsidiaries beyond existing listed entities UEM Sunrise and UEM Edgenta
Shares of UEM Sunrise rose as much as 2.5% on Thursday, narrowing YTD losses to 44.4%.
Comments
Post a Comment