KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) could tap new opportunities in the domestic natural gas market as Malaysia's growing data centre industry drives demand for electricity, said Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
He said the rising electricity requirements of data centres could create another commercially attractive market for natural gas, provided it is supplied at market prices without subsidies.
"In the past, Petronas signed long-term contracts with countries such as Japan to export gas. However, with the growth of data centres, there is an opportunity to supply gas for power generation and sell electricity at retail prices.
"Under long-term export agreements, gas is sold at wholesale prices. But by supplying power to data centres, there is an opportunity to obtain commercial market prices.
