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.
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.
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.
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.
As noted, recently many mining companies have begun or announced operations in Kazakhstan. Among them are Bitmain, BIT Mining Limited and others.
In June, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law introducing an additional charge for cryptocurrency mining.
In the autumn, authorities proposed restricting miners to address the electricity shortage. The Ministry of Energy stated that ‘shadow’ mining was on the rise.
The National Association of Blockchain and Data-Center Industry said 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.
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