Iran blames bitcoin miners for blackouts

Iran has launched a crackdown on cryptocurrency miners who it claims are responsible for power blackouts that are blighting the country.

Parts of Tehran, the capital, and the cities of Mashhad and Tabriz have been repeatedly plunged into darkness in recent weeks, causing production lines in industrial areas to grind to a halt.

Tavanir, the state electricity company, has temporarily closed all known cryptocurrency mines, including a huge Chinese-Iranian operation in the city of Rafsanjan that is reported to have been using 175 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to power an average western home for 17 years.

The Rafsanjan mine was registered with the Iranian authorities and had been paying a premium for its power, according to Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, Tavanir’s deputy chief executive, but

The Rafsanjan mine was registered with the Iranian authorities and had been paying a premium for its power, according to Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, Tavanir’s deputy chief executive.
×