Kosovo Moves to Ban Crypto Mining in Face of Energy Crisis
The government had declared a 60-day state of emergency, allowing it to allocate more money for energy imports and introduce power cuts.
Updated May 11, 2023 at 6:33 p.m. UTC
The Republic of Kosovo will ban cryptocurrency mining as a means of tackling its energy crisis.
- Artane Rizvanolli, the eastern European country’s economy minister, acted on the advice of the Technical Committee for Emergency Measures in Energy Supply on Dec. 31 as part of a set of relief measures.
- The measures include the “prohibition of the production of cryptocurrencies throughout the territory.”
- The government declared a state of emergency in December lasting for 60 days, allowing it to allocate more money for energy imports and introduce power cuts, according to a report by the Gazeta Express.
- The move is similar to that taken by Iran on Dec. 28 to ban crypto mining until March 6 in order to save power and avoid blackouts over the winter.