electricity

Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) latest forecast shows that by 2035, electricity consumption by data centers in the United States will account for about 20% of the nation's total electricity consumption, a significant increase from the current level of about 5.9%. The agency has raised its forecast for data center electricity demand in 2035 to 106 GW, which is 36% higher than the 78 GW predicted in April this year. Currently, the operating capacity of data centers in the U.S. is about 40 GW, accounting for approximately 3.5%-4% of the national electricity demand, while under BNEF's baseline scenario, this proportion is expected to reach 8.6% by 2035. The high-growth model from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) indicates that if the combined effects of cryptocurrency mining and AI computing power are taken into account, the upper limit of this proportion also points to 20%.In response to the explosive growth in AI computing power demand, Bitcoin mining companies are actively transforming. Companies like Core Scientific and Riot Platforms have partnered with tech giants such as AWS and Google to convert their existing mining sites into AI data centers. Currently, Bitcoin mining companies have secured about 6 GW of electricity capacity, which is expected to expand to 12 GW by 2027, with some analysts estimating that about 20% of mining companies' computing power capacity will shift towards AI workloads by then. Data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) shows that data centers now account for about 90% of local large load applications, with many sites originally used for cryptocurrency mining being repurposed as AI computing facilities. This trend is also directly reflected in the capital markets, as Core Scientific has seen a significant rebound in its stock price after emerging from bankruptcy and partnering with AI cloud service provider CoreWeave.

According to Bits.media, a large illegal cryptocurrency mining operation was discovered in the city of Nizhny Tagil in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, and the nearby city of Kushva. The mining operation was hidden in an abandoned industrial park and deployed about 10,000 mining machines, which were dismantled by a joint operation of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, the police, and the power company.Local power companies estimate that the losses caused by the long-term illegal electricity usage of this mining operation amount to nearly 1 billion rubles (approximately 12.7 million USD). Investigators stated that its electricity consumption was sufficient to meet the lighting needs of a small city. Law enforcement has arrested three suspects, who are currently under house arrest and are being investigated for "causing property damage through deception or abuse of trust." Under Russian law, those involved could face up to 5 years in prison.Investigations revealed that the operators of the mining site accessed the power grid through intermediaries and allegedly tampered with electricity meter data to cover up the actual electricity usage. Law enforcement agencies stated that the actual electricity consumption of the mining operation was about twice the approved quota. The local energy department initially launched an investigation due to frequent voltage fluctuations, power outages, and equipment failures in the abandoned factory area, ultimately pinpointing the location of the mining operation. A local television station also produced a documentary titled "Mining" to document this operation.

According to Livecoins, the property crime investigation department DEIC of São Paulo, Brazil, in collaboration with the electricity company CPFL Piratininga, conducted an operation that seized approximately 1,400 Bitcoin mining machines suspected of operating with stolen electricity. It is estimated that the amount of stolen electricity is enough to supply about 2,000 households for a month. Although Bitcoin mining is not illegal in Brazil, the focus of the actions by CPFL and DEIC is on the theft of electricity.

According to CoinDesk, after selling 70% of its Bitcoin holdings, there are reports that the Kingdom of Bhutan may have stopped or slowed down its Bitcoin mining activities, in stark contrast to the actions of other major institutions and sovereign nations that are increasing their holdings in cryptocurrencies and gold (El Salvador's current Bitcoin holdings have exceeded 7,618 coins).It is reported that due to economic pressure, its hydropower is currently used more for selling electricity to neighboring India rather than for Bitcoin mining. Additionally, the decline in Bitcoin prices, the increase in network difficulty, and halving pressure are all squeezing the profit margins for mining.As of now, the national sovereign wealth fund managing Bhutan's Bitcoin assets, Druk Holding and Investments, has not publicly commented on the status of fund transfers or its mining operations.

According to Criptonoticias, the Catalonia police in Spain seized an illegal Bitcoin mining operation in Sant Vicenç de Castellet, Barcelona, which was operating through illegal connections to the high-voltage power grid.According to calculations by the Spanish national electricity company Endesa, the amount of electricity fraud involved is as high as €860,643, one of the highest amounts recorded in the industrial sector in the region over the past year. Police discovered 88 ASIC mining machines in the industrial building, which were directly connected to the grid via a three-phase system, without any meters or protection systems.Investigators pointed out that this type of connection poses a serious risk of overload and fire, while threatening the stability of power supply to surrounding businesses. A 34-year-old man, identified as a suspect in the case, appeared in court in Manresa on March 3. Currently, the judicial proceedings are only focused on the alleged crime of electricity fraud, and the police are assessing the seized equipment to determine the actual scope of activities.

The Paraguayan National Electricity Company ANDE has signed a memorandum of understanding with the cryptocurrency infrastructure company Morphware to launch the country's first government-led Bitcoin mining pilot project using Bitcoin mining machines seized by law enforcement.The first phase will deploy approximately 1,500 confiscated mining machines and utilize local surplus hydroelectric resources for compliant mining. According to the arrangement, ANDE is responsible for the ownership and regulation of the mining site, while Morphware provides technical and operational support. For the mined Bitcoin, the government is discussing selling it for public expenditure or using financial instruments to hedge risks and hold part of the assets.

The Russian police have detained 7 employees of "Russian Grids Moscow Region" (Россети Московский регион), who are suspected of assisting in illegal cryptocurrency mining operations within the Moscow region.The arrested individuals hold positions ranging from ordinary electricians to senior engineers. Investigators claim that these utility company employees provided paid services to illegal mining sites, including artificially lowering electricity meter readings and helping to evade scheduled and unscheduled inspections. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the preliminary economic damage caused by these actions is estimated at around 10 million rubles.

Tajikistan has introduced criminal penalties for the illegal use of electricity to mine virtual assets and cryptocurrencies through amendments to the Criminal Code.According to the new regulations, offenders will face fines ranging from 15,000 to 75,000 somoni, or imprisonment for 2 to 8 years. Previously, cryptocurrencies were neither legal nor illegal in Tajikistan, existing in a regulatory gray area.

A blockchain startup supported by a16z and Framework Ventures, Daylight, has launched a new protocol called DayFi on Ethereum today, aimed at converting electricity into yield-generating crypto assets.The protocol combines GRID stablecoin and sGRID yield tokens to finance solar installations and return tokenized yields to investors, addressing the growing electricity demand in areas such as data centers and electric vehicles. Daylight founder Jason Badeaux stated that distributed energy provides the fastest and most economical way to scale energy production and storage on the grid. Currently, Daylight is operating in Illinois and Massachusetts, with plans to expand to more U.S. regional markets such as California.

JPMorgan analysts believe that for the recent price trends of Bitcoin, the resilience of Strategy (stock code MSTR) is more important than miner activity. Although the world's largest Bitcoin holder has not yet begun to sell, Bitcoin miners seem to be facing increasing selling pressure.JPMorgan Managing Director Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou and his team noted in a report on Wednesday that the recent pressure on Bitcoin prices is mainly due to two factors: first, the recent decline in Bitcoin network hash rate and mining difficulty; second, the latest developments surrounding Strategy. Analysts stated that the decline in hash rate and mining difficulty reflects the influence of two forces: China's reaffirmation of its ban on Bitcoin mining following a surge in private mining activities, and the low Bitcoin prices combined with high energy costs squeezing profits, leading to the exit of high-cost miners outside of China.Analysts pointed out that while a decline in hash rate typically increases miner revenue, "Bitcoin prices are currently still hovering below their production costs," which brings selling pressure to the Bitcoin market. JPMorgan analysts have currently revised their estimate of Bitcoin's production cost down to $90,000, from $94,000 last month. According to analysts, this update is based on an electricity price assumption of $0.05 per kilowatt-hour, and for high-cost producers, every increase of $0.01 per kilowatt-hour will raise their production costs by $18,000.JPMorgan's report stated: "Against the backdrop of high electricity prices and low Bitcoin prices squeezing profits, some high-cost miners have been forced to sell Bitcoin in recent weeks."

The Malaysian authorities are actively cracking down on illegal Bitcoin mining activities, which are reported to have caused up to $1 billion in electricity theft losses.Law enforcement agencies are employing a strategy that combines high-tech and traditional methods, including using drones to detect abnormal heat sources, handheld sensors to detect irregular electricity usage, and responding to residents' reports of strange noises. It has been reported that some illegal miners even use natural bird calls to mask the noise of mining equipment. This crackdown has evolved into a "cat-and-mouse game," involving raids on shops and abandoned houses. The Malaysian government will continue to strengthen regulations to curb this increasingly serious problem.

According to Reuters, Malaysia's national power company TNB stated that illegal electricity usage for cryptocurrency mining has caused losses of approximately $1.1 billion (about 4.6 billion ringgit) from 2020 to August this year.The authorities disclosed that a total of 13,827 locations suspected of electricity theft were seized, with related activities involving tampering with electricity meters and illegal connections, which are violations under the Electricity Supply Act. TNB has collaborated with the police, communication regulators, and anti-corruption agencies to carry out actions, seizing Bitcoin mining machines and establishing a database of property owners and tenants involved in the case for monitoring and enforcement; at the same time, smart meters have been deployed at distribution substations to detect abnormal energy usage in real-time.

According to Solid Intel, Marathon Digital has completed the acquisition of Exaion, a subsidiary of the French electricity company (EDF). The terms of the deal explicitly state that EDF will be prohibited from using its computing power for AI training or Bitcoin mining activities.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Brazilian solar company Thopen announced plans to use excess electricity for Bitcoin mining as a way to monetize surplus renewable energy and offset losses from power rationing.In addition, the company is also evaluating solutions such as building data centers and Bitcoin mining near the load to absorb the excess energy generated locally.