KOTA SAMARAHAN: Sarawak Energy Berhad together with the police and help from public information, led to the successful crippling of two cryptocurrency mining centres here at Uni Central for electricity theft.
In a statement, the energy development company said they raided the premises and found 147 mining rigs, routers, modems and other electronic equipment for the cryptocurrency operation.
“The team also found direct tapping cables which were connected directly to the premises. The operators had attempted to conceal the cables with fibreboard and cable trunks to prevent detection.
“Despite the sophisticated tampering methods, our well trained and well-equipped technicians were able to detect their techniques.
“All direct tapping cables, cryptocurrency mining servers, and other electronic gadgets worth more than RM155,000, were dismantled and seized as evidence of electricity theft,” said the statement, adding that police reports have been lodged and the occupants and landlords will be called to assist in the investigations.
Sarawak Energy has estimated it incurred losses of approximately RM32,500 per month from unrecorded electricity consumption from both premises.
During the raid, the team discovered that the mining operators had used sound-proofing sponge foam to insulate the premises and reduce noise from the mining servers as well as prevent detection by the authorities.
However, the foam is made of combustible material, which can easily catch fire if exposed to hot environments.
The company explained that cryptocurrency mining consumes a lot of energy as it operates non-stop and due to the amount of heat generated, it often requires cooling units to prevent its servers from overheating.
“Non-standard fuses and illegal wiring connections commonly used in electricity theft can lead to short circuits, damaged appliances, fires and loss of lives.
“Such mining activities can also overload the electrical system capacity, causing local outages and inconveniencing those living nearby,” the company said.
The public are reminded that stealing electricity is a dangerous act and a criminal offence under Section 33(5) of the Electricity Ordinance, which carries a fine up to RM100,000 and/or a jail term up to five years, if convicted.
