The Iranian government has now warned of hefty fines for those who will be caught mining cryptocurrencies using power intended for domestic use.
This after authorities registered a significant spike in electricity consumption for digital currency mining, further straining the already stressed hydropower generation caused by insufficient rainfall in the country this year.
The government said the illegal mining operations for virtual currencies that rely on electricity intended for households cause transformers to be overloaded, damaging the power grid. According to Tehran Times, Iranian Ministry of Energy spokesperson Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi said unauthorized miners “will be fined when identified and held responsible for the damages they cause to the electricity network.”
Mining rapidly expanding in Iran
Back in 2019, the Iranian government legalized cryptocurrency mining, classifying it as an industrial activity.
In 2020, over 1,000 mining licenses were issued by the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade, and power companies were provided with an avenue to increase their profits through meeting the industry’s power demands.
Selling electricity to cryptocurrency miners was seen as an option to fill the gap between revenues and expenditures in the electricity industry. However, with the current energy crisis being faced by the country, this move is now also being questioned.
Power consumption through the roof
Per the latest available data, the cryptocurrency mining sector in Iran consumes up to 1,500 megawatts of electricity each day. Back in December, this figure only sat at 300 megawatts. Authorities revealed that only around 200 megawatts of the current average daily consumption are legal.
Chinese companies have taken advantage of low and subsidized electricity prices in Iran to establish mining operations in the country’s Special Economic Zones.
The Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade estimates around $660 million worth of cryptocurrency is mined annually by unlicensed facilities in Iran.
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Source: https://bitcoinerx.com/blockchain/iranian-government-to-penalize-crypto-miners-using-household-power/
