Bitcoin News and Finance
Manitoba Halts New Crypto Mining Projects Due to Expected High Energy Demand Skip to main content

Manitoba Halts New Crypto Mining Projects Due to Expected High Energy Demand

Manitoba Halts New Crypto Mining Projects Due to Expected High Energy Demand

Authorities in Manitoba are temporarily suspending the connection of new crypto mining facilities to the power grid. The Canadian province, which relies heavily on hydroelectric generation and attracts miners with low electricity rates, fears it may face overwhelming energy demand.

Manitoba Suspends New Crypto Mining Operations Citing Possible Increase in Electricity Usage

The government of Manitoba is halting new connections of crypto mining centers to the province’s hydroelectric grid, the Canadian press reported. Officials explain the move with the potential for increasing energy demand that the region may not be able to meet.

The suspension, imposed for a period of 18 months, will not affect the 37 currently active mining operations, according to an article by the Toronto Star. The measure is aimed at halting a growing number of requests to power new facilities with combined capacity amounting to a sizable portion of the province’s electricity supply.

Providing the reasoning for the decision, Manitoba Minister of Finance Cameron Friesen, the government official responsible for the state-owned company Manitoba Hydro, commented on Monday:

We can’t simply say, ‘Well anyone can take whatever [energy] they want to take and we’ll simply build dams. The last one cost $13 billion if you priced in the [transmission] line.

With the second-lowest electricity rates in Canada, only Quebec offers cheaper power, Manitoba is a magnet for users that need large amounts of electricity such as those involved in the energy-intensive extraction of cryptocurrencies.

Friesen revealed that 17 new operators have filed requests with the authorities in the province for a total of 370 megawatts of electricity. That exceeds half of the power produced by the Keeyask hydroelectric generating station which became operational in 2022.

The region’s finance minister also highlighted the concern of the Progressive Conservative government that blockchain businesses may not create many jobs. “You can be utilizing hundreds of megawatts and have a handful of workers,” he elaborated.

“Manitoba Hydro cannot make discretionary decisions about who to hook up,” Friesen emphasized. A government review is expected to analyze the economic impact of cryptocurrencies and the need for a regulatory framework to approve new large connections to the grid.

Earlier this month, the Hydro-Québec public utility asked the electricity distribution regulator in its province to suspend energy allocation for the blockchain sector. Manitoba’s restrictions also follow the enforcement of a partial moratorium on proof-of-work mining in the U.S. state of New York.

Do you think other Canadian provinces and U.S. states will adopt restrictive measures for crypto mining? Share your expectations in the comments section below.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Custodial Lightning Network Service Attack Discovered by LN ‘Newbie’ — Hacker Strikes 6 LN Custodians

On September 18, a Redditor posted to the r/bitcoin forum and explained how he discovered a way to “attack [the] lightning Network’s custodial services.” The Reddit account dubbed “Reckless Satoshi” wanted to figure out if a “discrepancy between real routing fees and service’s transaction fee can be exploited for a profit.” The researcher disclosed that he wanted to see how large the damage could be and said “it is bad.” 6 Lightning Network Custodial Services Attacked, Researcher Discloses Findings to Offenders Prior to Public Disclosure A Redditor called Reckless Satoshi published a disclosure post on r/bitcoin this past Saturday and disclosed how he had found a vulnerability with routing fees and some of the Lightning Network’s custodial services. The research attack was done in good faith and after it was complete he disclosed the bugs to the offending services before publishing his findings. Reckless Satoshi used the Lightning Network (LN) attack on six different services incl
Post a Comment
Read more

Axie Infinity Down 40% Since Last Week’s Price High, Protocol Revenue Outshines Competitors

Last week, the game token leveraged within the Axie Infinity gaming universe skyrocketed to all-time highs, while other crypto markets remained extremely lackluster. During the last seven days, Axie Infinity’s platform token has dropped significantly in value shedding more than 12%. Meanwhile, the game platform’s smooth love potion token has slid over 8% over the last 24 hours. Axie Infinity Down More Than 40% Since All-Time High Not too long ago, the axie infinity (AXS) token was a topical conversation because it reached an all-time high on July 15. At the time, AXS managed to capture $28.93 per unit and since then it has shed 12.8% during the last seven days. The axie infinity (AXS) token is used within the blockchain-based game that involves battles between token-based creatures called “Axies.” AXS is used for the game’s governance system as well as other actions within the game. At the time of writing axie infinity (AXS) is exchanging hands for $16.70 per coin. AXS/USD on Ju
Post a Comment
Read more

Play-to-Earn Game From Polker (PKR) Exchange Listing – Endorsed by Akon

The Play-to-Earn NFT based Polker.Game ‘s native token $PKR has been officially listed on the popular centralized exchange BitMart. Polker.game has been in the spotlight recently as Akon, the American R&B superstar and record producer gave his official endorsement of polker stating that the “game is revolutionary” and that Polker is “hands down.. the best play to earn, NFT game in the space.”. With the BitMart listing and celebrity endorsement from Akon, Polker is perfectly positioned to become a major player in the Play-to-Earn league. Watch Akon’s Video Here What is Play-to-Earn? Although not a new concept, play-to-earn has become a trending term due to the popularity of the NFT game AXIE infinity. In the past, previous play-to-earn games have also achieved success – however, thanks to the huge amount of development in the blockchain space in recent years the gaming experience is now massively improved. Play-to-Earn games are essentially free to play and open to anyone and
Post a Comment
Read more

China to Crack Down on Copyright Infringement Through NFTs

Authorities in China are going after creators of digital collectibles based on other people’s works of art, the use of which was not authorized. The government offensive is part of a campaign to combat online copyright infringement and piracy with the participation of several departments. Regulators in China Move to Strengthen Copyright Supervision of Online Platforms The National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) has recently launched a campaign against copyright infringement and piracy on the internet, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Internet Information Office of the People’s Republic. A major objective of the initiative is to improve copyright supervision of online businesses by investigating cases involving the sale and distribution of infringing products on short video, live broadcast and e-commerce platforms, and promptly dealing with infringing content, the agency announced in a press r
Post a Comment
Read more
Blogarama - Blog Directory