Malaysia is tapping its offshore gas reserves to meet record power demand driven by a searing heatwave and data centres, even as countries across Asia burn more coal to make up for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shortages due to the US-Israeli war on Iran, Reuters reports.

Electricity demand in peninsular Malaysia — which accounts for about 80% of national demand — increased 11.5 per cent annually in April and was largely met by a 50.5pc surge in gas-fired power, data from Malaysia’s Grid System Operator showed.