The news was released after mining operations in some parts of Sichuan city were forced to shut down.
According to three different local media reports, Ya’an is one of the major cryptocurrency mining centres in Sichuan Province, China, and will close the city’s mining operations. However, it is not clear how long the mine will be closed.
Chinese news media PANews quoted an anonymous source as saying: “Officials from relevant departments, including the city’s Energy Bureau and the Science and Technology Bureau, met and decided to close the cryptocurrency mining business.”
According to reports, the meeting was held on Thursday, local time. Local miners have been notified to shut down their sites at 22:00 local time (14:00 UTC, or 10 a.m. Eastern Time) for self-inspection.
According to reports, it is not clear when the miners will be able to restart their mining, but another meeting is expected to be held on Friday.
Another local media, BlockBeats, stated that all mines, including hydroelectric power stations, must be closed before June 25. According to the BlockBeats report, some parks have been notified and expect to receive another official document on Friday.
Citing unidentified miners, a third report by Chinese crypto blogger Colin Wu stated that mining activities in parts of Sichuan Province have been suspended for inspection.
It is not clear whether the city’s crackdown on cryptocurrency mining will spread to other parts of Sichuan Province.
Ya’an is one of the province’s water-rich areas, and Chinese crypto miners can enjoy cheap electricity during the rainy season in China.
Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Qinghai also ordered the closure of mining operations. CoinDesk was unable to independently verify the accuracy of the three reports. The Ya’an Municipal People’s Government did not respond to a request for comment.
An official of the Energy Regulatory Office of the Sichuan National Energy Administration was unable to confirm the strike notice, saying that people who may be aware of the notice could not be reached immediately.