{"id":153974,"date":"2021-01-14T02:48:32","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T23:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/crypto-mining-allegedly-worsening-air-pollution-in-iran\/"},"modified":"2021-01-14T02:48:32","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T23:48:32","slug":"crypto-mining-allegedly-worsening-air-pollution-in-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/crypto-mining-allegedly-worsening-air-pollution-in-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"# Crypto mining allegedly worsening air pollution in Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

“# Crypto mining allegedly worsening air pollution in Iran <\/strong>”
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The push by many in Iran to establish the country as a mecca for crypto miners may be having some unintended environmental consequences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to a Bloomberg report, the energy requirements of Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto mining in Iran coupled with the demand for heat in an exceptionally cold winter have contributed<\/a> to a natural gas shortage, forcing power plants to allegedly burn “low-grade fuel oils” to meet the country\u2019s electrical needs. The result has been “thick layers of toxic smog” across many Iranian cities and blackouts as some power plants have closed.<\/p>\n

Iran is already facing economic burdens as U.S. sanctions have isolated the country from foreign financial institutions, a dire situation with the global pandemic \u2014 roughly 1.3 million total cases<\/a> of COVID-19 \u2014 and now a winter with average temperatures just above freezing at night in Tehran. <\/p>\n

Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Iran\u2019s Oil Minister, reportedly denied that any power plants in the country were resorting to using inferior fuels. However, major news<\/a> outlets have commented<\/a> on the seemingly worsening situation with air pollution in Tehran \u2014 according to IQAir, the city\u2019s air quality registers<\/a> as \u201cunhealthy\u201d with an air quality index of 171 at the time of publication.<\/p>\n

Last January, Iran\u2019s Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade announced it had issued 1,000 licenses for crypto miners\u00a0following the government\u2019s decision to authorize it as an app<\/a>roved industrial activity in July 2019. Authorities later allowed industrial-scale power plants in the country to operate as Bitcoin miners “if they comply with approved tariffs,” have the necessary licenses, and don\u2019t use subsidized fuel. <\/p>\n

Some Iranian officials have continued to work towards making the country a regulatory safe haven for crypto miners. In May, President Hassan Rouhani tasked officials with drafting plans for a national crypto mining strategy. The number of mining operations in the country expanded significantly in 2020, with authorities granting Turkish firm iMiner permission to establish a 6,000-rig facility in Iran\u2019s Semnan province.<\/p>\n