Norway’s government explores crypto mining ban amid energy supply concerns

A temporary ban could be imposed as early as autumn based on an investigation into crypto miners’ energy consumption.

The government of Norway is considering a temporary ban on crypto mining in the country in an effort to “free up power, network capacity and area for other purposes.”

In a Friday notice, the Norwegian government said it would be conducting an investigation in autumn that could result in a temporary ban on crypto mining data centers. Officials said they had the authority to enforce such a ban under Norway’s Planning and Building Act, which includes provisions on allocating energy.

“It is uncertain how big a problem crypto mining will become in Norway in the future,” the notice reads. “The registration requirement in the new data center regulations will provide increased knowledge about the scope of data centers that mine cryptocurrency.”

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