The detection of unauthorized miners is accelerating

According to Energy Press, illegal miners in Iran are one of the most complex and challenging issues in the field of energy and economy of the country. Due to the relatively low price of electricity in Iran, cryptocurrency mining has become a profitable activity.
Due to the high profitability of cryptocurrency mining, many people have installed and set up miner devices in different places, including homes, workshops and even farms. These devices put a lot of pressure on the power grid due to high electricity consumption and the need for cooling. Also, due to its stealth, illegal mining activities are usually carried out at times when power consumption is lower, but in the long run, it leads to power quality degradation and frequent outages in the grid.
The government and the Ministry of Energy have made efforts to deal with this phenomenon. One of these actions is identifying and confiscating illegal mining devices and imposing heavy fines on their owners. However, these activities are very difficult to identify due to their covert nature and geographical dispersion. In addition, the weakness in the laws and insufficient supervision have caused some people and groups to take advantage of the legal loopholes.
Unauthorized mining of cryptocurrencies not only damages the country’s energy infrastructure, but also increases public discontent. Frequent power outages in different regions of the country, especially in the hot seasons, are directly or indirectly related to unauthorized miners. This issue has also led to a drop in industrial production and productivity in many industries.
To deal with this challenge, the need to strengthen laws and increase supervision is strongly felt. The development of intelligent systems to identify abnormal electricity consumption, increasing public awareness about the negative consequences of illegal extraction, and creating incentives for legal extraction and use of renewable energy are among the solutions that can help reduce this phenomenon.
Iran’s Ministry of Energy has used a combination of incentive and punishment programs to deal with illegal miners and manage energy consumption in the country. These programs are designed to reduce illegal electricity consumption, improve energy efficiency, and encourage legal cryptocurrency mining.