The Russian company Inter RAO is discussing the possibility of commercial electricity deliveries to Kazakhstan in November, amid an expected energy crisis in the country, Interfax reports.<\/p>\n
According to Alexandra Panina, a spokeswoman for the energy holding, electricity consumption in Kazakhstan is rising by 6-7% annually. A shortfall is forecast for winter, peaking at up to 600 MW.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons for the situation at Inter RAO is the activity of miners in Kazakhstan, drawn by the country’s low electricity price.<\/p>\n
Earlier in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s energy minister Nikolai Shulginov expressed concern about unplanned daily power transfers from Kazakhstan of 1-1.5 GW, including from miners.<\/p>\n
As noted, recently many mining companies have begun or announced operations in Kazakhstan. Among them are Bitmain<\/a>, BIT Mining Limited<\/a> and others.<\/p>\n In June, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law<\/a> introducing an additional charge for cryptocurrency mining.<\/p>\n In the autumn, authorities proposed restricting miners<\/a> to address the electricity shortage. The Ministry of Energy stated<\/a> that ‘shadow’ mining was on the rise.<\/p>\n The National Association of Blockchain and Data-Center Industry said<\/a> that legal mining players contribute at least $230 million a year to Kazakhstan’s economy. Experts project that legal mining over the next five years will bring more than $1.5 billion to the economy. Potential taxes will exceed $300 million.<\/p>\n