Malaysia’s battle against electricity theft tied to illegal crypto mining has reached a new milestone, with the national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad reporting more than 1.1 billion dollars in losses over the past five years. The figures were disclosed in a parliamentary filing from the country’s energy ministry on Tuesday, underscoring the scale of the problem and its impact on the nation’s power grid.
According to the filing, TNB identified 13,827 sites that siphoned electricity to run unlicensed crypto mining operations between 2020 and August 2025. The ministry warned that the ongoing activity threatens the stability of the national power supply, puts public safety at risk, and strains the country’s broader economic health.
Authorities in Malaysia have been working for years to shut down illegal mining setups, which often bypass meters and overload local infrastructure. In 2024, law enforcement destroyed more than 900 bitcoin mining rigs valued at nearly 2 million ringgit as part of a coordinated national crackdown.
To strengthen enforcement, TNB has built a dedicated internal database of property owners and tenants believed to be connected to electricity theft. The ministry said the system helps officers flag suspicious locations and carry out targeted inspections more effectively.
On the technical side, TNB has expanded the use of smart meters and launched a pilot initiative known as the Distribution Transformer Meter program. The effort focuses on tracking energy patterns at substations and identifying irregularities that may signal illicit mining activity.
