Kosovo’s legal authorities confiscated over 300 crypto mining equipment. According to the country’s Minister of Energy and Economy, the step will save several tens of thousands of euros per month.
Like numerous other European countries, Kosovo is currently experiencing an energy crisis due to an increase in electricity prices.
As a result, the government imposed a blanket ban on cryptocurrency mining in order to reduce electricity use and alleviate power shortages this winter. Currently, more than 40% of the country’s energy is imported.
The first seizure was made by the local police a few days after the ban was imposed. According to a recent report, the Kosovo Police, in coordination with Kosovo Customs, confiscated exactly 272 Bitcoin mining devices in the municipality of Leposavic.
Following that, during the next activity, which was carried out separately near the capital Prishtina, law enforcement officers detained more than 39 cryptocurrency mining machines. Thirty-five of them were operational at the time of confiscation.
In addition, near Druar, local cops apprehended a driver carrying six illegal crypto miners. He allegedly hid these six crypto mining machines, as well as over 42 GPUs (or graphics cards), in the back seat of his automobile. He is being interrogated at the moment.
Artane Rizvanolli, the country’s Minister of Economics and Energy, discusses the efforts of law enforcement. According to her estimates, the decision will save Kosovo tens of thousands of dollars per month, equivalent to the electricity used by hundreds of households throughout the crisis.
Aside from Kosovo, a few other countries have imposed a temporary ban on cryptocurrency mining. Iran is one of them. The Iranian government, like Kosovo, made this decision during the cold months of December.
In addition, during the summer of last year, the Iranian authorities reintroduced the rule. The country initially prohibited cryptocurrency mining from June to September 2021, when temperatures reached 30 to 35° C (or 95° F). However, government officials were strict in ensuring that crypto miners followed the regulations throughout this time period.
The Iranian Police seized approximately 7,000 Bitcoin mining devices during the early summer months. These gadgets were discovered at an abandoned industrial in Tehran, Iran’s capital. Prior to that, the government had confiscated around 1,500 cryptocurrency mining machines in January of that same year.
KOSTT, Kosovo’s electrical distribution business, announced the end of free electricity supply to four municipalities in the north at the end of November. Zvecan, Leposavic, Mitrovica North, and Zubin Potok are among them.
The country was a part of Serbia until its independence in 2008, and it has preserved its subsidies ever since.