Iran’s energy use is going up during the winter, so local energy officials have decided to stop the operations of authorized cryptocurrency mining centres. This move is not the first of its kind as the former ban was recently lifted in September.
Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, the chairman of the board and managing director of Iran Grid Management Company (Tavanir), said that Iran is shutting down crypto mining centres again to cut down on the amount of liquid fuel used in power plants as the temperature drops.
Mashhadi told the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) that last month, Iranian authorities took this step to cut back on energy use.
Since last month, the Energy Ministry has been taking steps to cut down on the use of liquid fuels in power plants, including cutting off the power to crypto farms, turning off lampposts in less dangerous areas, and keeping a close eye on consumption.
The head of the country said that saving energy was very important, and he also asked people to cut back on their electricity and gas use as much as possible.
Energy usage and crypto mining
According to local reports, 70% of the fuel used in Iran is used to heat buildings. The new energy-saving measures are said to cut energy use by at least 40%.
In addition to enforcing rules on authorized crypto mining operators, the Iranian government has also been working to stop illegal crypto mining. In late November, local energy authorities said that they had seized 222,000 mining machines that had been used to mine crypto illegally since the industry regulations were put in place.
Iranians are one of the world’s biggest Bitcoin (BTC) miners. They make up between 4% and 7% of the world’s hash rate. In the past, the country put a temporary ban on crypto mining in the summer because it was a time when electricity use was at its highest because of the hot weather. The ban was then lifted in September when the Iranian power grid was more stable.
