Iran says cryptomining a major cause for rising electricity demand
Iran’s state electricity company, Tavanir, says increased cryptomining activity in the country has contributed to the rise in power demand.
Tavanir’s CEO Mostafa Rajabi said in a meeting with public prosecutors on Sunday that crypto miners have been benefiting from ultra-cheap electricity prices in Iran to increase their wealth.
Rajabi called on the Iranian judiciary to be tougher on illegal cryptominers, saying they are violating the rights of the public.
“Unfortunately, the illegal mining of cryptocurrency has expanded immeasurably in our country and is putting huge pressure on power transmission networks,” he said.
The official said that cryptomining is a major reason behind the 16% increase in electricity demand in Iran this year compared to last year's figures.
The comments came weeks after Iran introduced power cuts in large cities because of a cold snap that had pushed up demand for natural gas, leaving power plants struggling with low supplies of gasoil.
Iran's Energy Ministry said earlier this week that it had stopped the power cuts but warned that rising demand may again cause it to restrict access to electricity for households.
An official in Tavanir said on Sunday that authorities had identified some 10,000 illegal cryptomining farms across Iran that were each using between 28 to 40 mining machines with an electricity usage of 3.5 kilowatt-hours.
Mohammad Allahdad said that some 60,000 more Tavanir customers are believed to be using electricity for cryptomining.
Back in 2021, Iranian authorities blamed a surge in illegal cryptomining activity as the main cause of the shortage in power supplies during hot summer days.
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