The crypto mining industry may see a two-fold increase in its share of Russia’s power consumption in 2022, according to a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Energy. The department supports a bill designed to regulate the sector which is likely to be adopted this year.
Russian Energy Ministry Forecasts Rise in Crypto Mining’s Electricity Consumption
The share of cryptocurrency miners may reach 1.5 – 2% of Russia’s total consumption of electrical power by the end of 2022, according to the Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Snikkars. During a crypto conference organized by the business news portal RBC, the government official recalled that last year’s figure was around 1%.
The availability of electricity for mining across the vast country would depend on the number of users that want to connect to the grid in a particular location, Snikkars added. In certain Russian regions — the deputy minister mentioned Murmansk as an example — unused power generating capacities are currently being offered to the crypto industry.
Snikkars explained the availability of such resources with the way new power plants are built. A decision to start the construction of one, which may take up to a decade in the case of nuclear stations, is based on requests from potential consumers in the area. However, some projects are not ready to launch on time or at all and, as a result, the generating capacities are not fully loaded.

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