Crypto crackdown accelerates in Kosovo, cops confiscate more than 300 mining machines amid electricity crisis

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Kosovo, a partially recognized state in south-eastern Europe, has started to take action to address the problem of power shortages in the country. Police confiscated a total of 300 crypto mining machines during a raid in the Leposavic and Prishtina regions after Kosovo imposed a blanket ban on crypto mining on January 5. Advanced computers used for mining cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin should be plugged in at all times. and consume loads of electricity.

Of the total machines seized, 272 were found at Leposavic, indicating that the energy-intensive process of crypto mining is becoming popular there.

The Kosovo Police Account posted updates of their raid on the Twitter account, garnering appreciation and support from Artane Rizvanolli, Kosovo’s Minister of Economy.

Vehicles carrying crypto mining machines have also come to the attention of Kosovo police after the recent confiscation of six computers from a driver in the Druar area near Vushtrri.

This crackdown on crypto mining activities in Kosovo comes after an electricity crisis led to a 60-day emergency in the country in December 2021.

The illegal crypto-mining operations used electricity that was to be distributed to the people of Kosovo.

The country, which is currently home to nearly 2 million people, does not produce enough electricity to meet its consumption needs.

Kosovo’s electric power capacity is around 900 MW, almost all of which comes from two archaic coal-fired power plants, Kosovo A and Kosovo B. The country further imports more than 40% of its energy, according to a report. Devdiscourse report.

The crypto mining activities that appear to be accelerating in the region have put excessive loads on Kosovo’s power grids.

The region is not the first to be plagued by electricity problems due to crypto mining activities.

Between January 1, 2016 and June 30, 2018, mining operations of four major cryptocurrencies released up to about 13 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to a research report last year.

With the expansion of the crypto space around the world, more and more miners are becoming active.

Earlier this month, Iran banned the operations of all licensed Bitcoin mining facilities in an effort to reduce pressure on the electricity supply.

Crypto miners have been accused of over-exploiting electricity and causing blackouts in the Irkutsk region in eastern Russia. Authorities have revealed that electricity use in the area increased 108% last year, with many residents engaged in mining from homes, balconies and garages.

According to Cambridge researchers, Bitcoin mining alone consumes around 121.36 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy per year. For comparison, the whole country of Argentina uses 121 TWh per year and the United Arab Emirates generally gets by with even less, 113.20 TWh per year.

Interested in cryptocurrency? We discuss all things crypto with WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty and WeekendInvesting Founder Alok Jain on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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