I guess it's not worth it when you have to pay for the electricity, or presumably they would've used them.
⚡️🇲🇾 WATCH - Malaysian authorities seized 1,069 bitcoin mining machines in 2021 and used a steamroller to crush them. The hardware allegedly stole $2 million worth of electricity and was destroyed by court order.
https://blossom.primal.net/f361411528320137af930351df5a3ba6d7e328fbe15482be72e09baf2c0c1b97.mp4
Discussion
If Governments can't get the cheapest electricity, then there is something really wrong with the way they work! These miners could have been used to use stranded power generation that would have helped them build out their power grid and improve the lives of their citizens. Even if they didn't want to use them, they could have sold the working ones abroad or done anything more constructive with them! Governments are parasites that eventually kill their host.
Yes, you're right. Malaysia has abundant government sponsored solar energy. This was just destructive.