Malaysia Power Giant TNB Loses Over $1 Billion to Illegal Crypto Mining

According to the national power generator of Malaysia, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), illicit cryptocurrency mining has already cost it over $1.1 billion between 2020 and August 2025. The amazing number is based on a written answer of the Ministry of Energy and Water Transformation, which was disclosed via a parliamentary response, according to a report by South China Morning Post that was cited by Wu 说区块链.

TNB states that 13,827 broke into or circumvented their electricity meters to power their crypto miners and generated a mass of unauthorised power consumption. These unlawful activities consumed power without any payment hence straining the national grid and the revenues of TNB.

Malaysia Enforcement Issues

Although the Electricity Supply Act of 1990 forbids power theft, the Malaysian legislation does not contain any reference to electricity theft related to mining activity. The existing laws address crypto miner stealing as the theft equivalent of generic electricity stealing, and lead to fairly light punishment, up to RM 10,000 in fines or possible jail time, as per the ministry. This has seen a lack of specific control that has compelled the authorities to remain in pace with the magnitude and complexity of these illegal mining activities.

Economic and Grid Impacts

It is not only the financial loss that is of concern. The robbery has disrupted energy supply in some sections of the country, which has added to the pressure on the infrastructure of TNB. TNB has responded by more aggressively raiding and cooperating with the police.

Analysts fear that the economic implication of this theft could be much greater: it does not just diminish the margins of TNB but also the viability of the regulated pricing of electricity. Otherwise, the massive mining farms can consume the cheap power sources and negatively affect the energy security and the state budget.

The Energy Ministry responds to the crisis by claiming that it is expediting its modernisation of grid monitoring. This involves the implementation of smart electricity meters that will be able to monitor suspicious consumption and apply AI-based analytics to determine the presence of suspicious patterns in line with mining activity.

Countermeasures Underway

Stricter crypto-specific laws are also being demanded by the regulators and lawmakers. Some of the proposals discussed are specific rules on crypto mining, the imposition of fines, and the tightening of the conditions of the licenses. The disclosure of the losses incurred by TNB underscores an increasing yet underreported expense of crypto mining in energy-intensive markets. The plight of Malaysia is not an isolated worldwide phenomenon: as the price of cryptocurrencies goes up, miners are going towards jurisdictions with low electricity rates at the cost of state utilities. In the case of the crypto industry, this may trigger additional regulation and entry barriers to power intensive projects.