Johor residents voice property concerns over data centre expansion
Homeowners in Iskandar Puteri cite construction dust, noise and new power towers as Johor faces a stock of unsold housing.
Data centre development in Johor’s Iskandar Puteri is prompting residents to consider selling their homes, with homeowners telling The Straits Times that nearby construction and electricity infrastructure have changed their surroundings and raised worries about finding buyers.
Among them is finance manager Lee Shi Qing, who offered her Eco Botanic terraced property for sale after building work started nearby and transmission pylons appeared. She cited worries about high-voltage lines and said she had received inquiries from just two potential buyers over six months.
The neighbouring development is TM Nxera’s 64-megawatt data centre. The company is a joint venture involving Telekom Malaysia and Nxera, Singtel’s digital infrastructure unit. TM Nxera declined to comment; Tenaga Nasional had not responded to the newspaper’s questions at publication.
Johor’s housing supply adds to the backdrop. National Property Information Centre figures for the first half of 2026 showed 4,222 completed homes remaining unsold, alongside 9,946 serviced apartments. Each figure was Malaysia’s highest. Olive Tree Property Consultants chief executive Samuel Tan said pylons and disruption could discourage prospective buyers.
Invest Johor chief executive Natazha Harris said approval processes were under way for 65 data centre projects. Their utility requirements had brought forward infrastructure work intended for 2030 or 2035, she said.
Residents in Nusantara Prima and Nusa Bayu have protested about construction dust entering homes. Municipal councillor Lim Soon Hai said residents also reported humming and warmer surroundings, which they attributed to data centre cooling equipment.
On electromagnetic exposure, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia professor Mohd Fadhil Md Din said transmission-line fields reach background levels within 50m to 100m. For homes 200m to 300m away, he said scientific evidence did not justify a general finding of dangerous exposure or relocation solely on health grounds.
