Canada Senses $ 7 Million Fine for Illegal Bitcoin Mining Power Plant

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Setting up a Bitcoin mining operation inside a power plant has become a trend. In recent months, companies have started mining cryptocurrency from hydroelectric, natural gas, nuclear and even volcanic power plants. The idea turned out to be so popular, in fact, that Canadian officials are reportedly considering a $ 7.1 million fine for a company that secretly operated a Bitcoin mining power plant in Alberta.

CBC reported that Link Global installed four 1.25 MW generators powered by “a dormant natural gas well” at a site in 2020 “without notifying the neighbors, the county or the Alberta Utilities Commission.” He then established two sites in other locations, only one of which complied with AUC regulations. CBC said the first site operated without approval for 364 days; a site in Kirkwall operated for 426.

Link Global doesn’t appear to be deterred by these potential fines: the company reportedly intends to establish three 10MW cryptocurrency mining facilities in Alberta by the end of this year. He is also said to be considering submitting a response to the AUC, presumably in an effort to reduce fines. In addition, he hopes to move one of the factories and resume operations at the Kirkwall site after fixing the problem.

“We have recognized that we have made mistakes and have worked hard to rectify them; however, we have followed AUC’s orders since we were made aware of the issues in early 2021,” said CEO of Link Global , Stephen Jenkins, in a statement to CBC. “Our company strives to respect the law, people and the environment, and we believe our submission to the AUC will make this evident.”

This too has become a trend among Bitcoin mining operations. A company in New York’s Finger Lakes area that has been criticized for the potential environmental impact of operations announced in August that it would replace a landfill with a “major new solar farm”, for example, and a selling point key to El Salvador’s volcano – Bitcoin projects are their use of clean energy.

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