Cryptocurrency mining should be allowed in areas with excess energy and prohibited in those that experience deficits, according to Russian officials preparing to legalize it. An expert from the crypto industry has recently marked the regions where Moscow is likely to authorize mining and the ones where it will probably ban the extraction of digital currencies.
Expert Lists Russian Regions Most Suitable for Crypto Mining and Those Expecting Ban
The Central Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance recently agreed on legislation designed to regulate the mining of cryptocurrency that should be adopted by the end of this year. Lawmakers working to finalize it have indicated that the industrial activity should be permitted only in parts of the vast country that can produce more electricity than they need.
One of them, the Chairman of the parliamentary Financial Market Committee Anatoly Aksakov, also said that the energy-intensive process should be banned in other areas facing power shortages. The deputy assured that the respective bill will be filed with the State Duma in the near future and also called for the simultaneous regulation of mining and cryptocurrencies.
The idea to authorize the minting of digital coins only in regions with a steady surplus in electricity generation is not new. A proposal in the same direction was made by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development in February, when the department also suggested introducing “acceptable” electricity rates for miners.
Roman Nekrasov, co-founder of ENCRY Foundation, which represents IT companies providing services in the field of blockchain and tech innovations, has shared with RBC Crypto his expectations about which Russian regions are most likely to be allowed to host crypto mining operations. He also listed those where miners will hardly be welcome.
Mining will be permitted in regions with hydroelectric and nuclear power plants, he told the crypto news outlet, which have been already populated with cryptocurrency farms for several years now. These include Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai, which have many hydroelectric power plants, as well as Tver, Saratov, Smolensk, and Leningrad regions, with their nuclear power plants.
The minting of digital currencies will probably be banned in the capital Moscow and the adjacent Moscow Oblast, Belgorod Oblast, and Krasnodar Krai, which have historically been energy-deficient, Nekrasov explained. He also expects the crackdown on illegal mining facilities in Dagestan to intensify. The Russian republic is another region with insufficient electricity supply where mining has spread as a popular source of income amid high unemployment.
The crypto industry expert also thinks Russian authorities could allow the extraction of cryptocurrencies in Karelia. However, this could happen under certain conditions such as requiring mining enterprises to support the construction of small hydropower plants, Roman Nekrasov remarked. Karelia was listed among the most popular crypto mining destinations in Russia in study released earlier this year.
Do you expect Russia to allow mining only in its energy-rich regions? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.