Kuwait Cracks Down on Crypto Miners Amid Blackouts and Power Crisis
With summer temperatures set to soar, the government is racing to stabilize its strained electrical grid before widespread blackouts become the norm.
The Ministry of Interior said in a statement last week that it began a sweeping security operation targeting homes illegally used for crypto mining, calling the activity a direct threat to public safety. Officials noted that mining operationsparticularly Bitcoinconsume extreme levels of electricity and may trigger outages in residential, commercial, and service areas.
Although Kuwait has banned cryptocurrency trading, there are currently no specific laws that prohibit mining. However, the government says miners are unlawfully exploiting the countrys heavily subsidized poweramong the cheapest in the worldwhile many plants suffer from maintenance delays, rapid urban growth, and increasing demand.
One hotspot is the southern region of Al-Wafrah, where authorities found around 100 homes allegedly used for mining, with some consuming up to 20 times the normal electricity levels. Following the raids, energy usage in the area reportedly dropped by 55%.
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While crypto mining accounts for only a fraction of global activityKuwait was responsible for just 0.05% of the worlds Bitcoin mining in 2022, according to Cambridge Universityits impact on the countrys smaller power grid can still be outsized. Experts like Digiconomist founder Alex de Vries-Gao warn that even modest mining activity can stress fragile energy systems.
Kuwait joins a growing list of countries taking action against crypto mining amid energy concerns, following similar restrictions in places like Russia and Kosovo.
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Text source: Coindoo
