Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy has attributed the 8% increase in domestic electricity consumption throughout 2021 to Bitcoin miners.
It has been reported that the country received at least 87,849 Bitcoin mining machines from Chinese companies so far this year, after China’s crackdown on crypto mining.
However, the substantial increase in demand has led to a deficit in the domestic power supply and contributed to unreliable electricity services, according to the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company.
President Tokayev told bankers that he thinks building a nuclear power plant will help ease the stress on his country’s electrical infrastructure.
He said:
“Looking into the future, we will have to make an unpopular decision about the construction of a nuclear power plant.”
The report said that while Tokayev did not connect the proposal to Bitcoin mining power use, failing to keep miners in the country could jeopardize the estimated $1.58 billion in tax revenue those miners represent. Power shortages have already forced Bitcoin mining marketplace Xive to leave Kazakhstan.
Didar Bekbau, the co-founder of Xive, said that he had to shut down his company’s mining farm due to “restricted electricity supply from the grid.”
He added:
“Little sad to shut down our mining farm in south KZ. Last container is ready to be sent. So much work, people, hopes are ruined. Country risk played out.”
Likewise, Kazakhstan is now home to 50 registered and an unknown number of unregistered crypto mining companies. The decision to build new nuclear power plants is a serious one for a country that suffered severe nuclear fallout from weapons testing during the Soviet occupation. Kazakhstan’s last nuclear power plant closed in 1999.
Thus, about 88% of Kazakhstan’s power currently comes from fossil fuel-burning power plants.
Source: Cointelegraph
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