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Energy Crisis: Kosovo Police Confiscates Mining Rigs

Energy Crisis: Kosovo Police Confiscate Mining Rigs

The Republic of Kosovo is the latest country to embark on a mining rigs confiscation spree. According to reports, a series of power outages has spurred its local police to clamp down on miners. As of January 8, over 300 mining rigs had been seized.

Kosovo’s Minister for Economy Artane Rizvanolli endorsed the efforts of the police in a tweet, adding that it will save the country ‘tens of thousands of Euros per month.’ In addition, hundreds of Kosovar families will benefit from the energy saved, the minister noted.

The Kosovo local police shed details on its efforts so far in an announcement. The report noted that it had seized 272 Antminer mining rigs and another 39 in Leposavic and Prishtina, respectively.

Kosovo is currently facing an energy crisis. In December 2021, the European country declared a state of emergency for 60 days, prompting a blanket ban on crypto mining on January 5. Over 40% of its energy supply is being imported.

Kosovo recently became a major attraction for crypto mining amid the migration of miners from China, formerly a mining powerhouse. Following their departure, miners began opting for renewable energy sources. Despite this, concerns around the impact of proof-of-work mining (a mining mechanism that Bitcoin uses) continue to arise. Meanwhile, Iran and Kazakhstan have also begun restricting mining-related activities after experiencing several power outages in recent months.

 

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