The Russian Ministry of Energy has been instructed to revise the regulations that apply to miners. The updated requirements should include stricter liability for illegal connection to power grids, electricity theft, and violation of the introduced bans on cryptocurrency mining.
In addition, cryptocurrency miners will be classified into a new category of consumers with lower energy needs, for whom the reliability of the power supply is far from guaranteed.
According to media reports, the Ministry of Energy will develop a “mechanism for the redistribution of freed-up capacity while limiting mining activity in the region in order to connect socially significant consumers to the power grid.”
Once the amendments are adopted, authorities will be able to remotely shut down existing mining farms and introduce remote consumption restrictions during peak hours and when there is a threat of energy and capacity shortages.
Cryptocurrency mining was legalized in 2024 to take advantage of competitive advantages such as cheap and accessible electricity. However, in recent months, cryptocurrency mining has been partially or completely banned in a dozen regions with electricity shortages, from Siberia to the North Caucasus.