ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, the Abkhazian police have recently intensified their crackdown on private crypto miners, seizing nearly 200 mining machines within four days. The Abkhazian State Security Service (SSS) conducted raids in cities such as Ochamchira and Sukhum from December 10 to 13, confiscating 194 mining machines. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also seized 10 mining machines from the Gudauta and Gagra districts.Timur Dzhindzholiya, head of Chernomorenergo, stated that despite the implementation of rolling blackouts, energy consumption has not decreased, indicating that crypto mining continues to consume a significant amount of electricity. On December 10, internet service providers suspended the network for seven hours in an attempt to alleviate the pressure of mining on the power grid. On December 11, the Inguri Hydroelectric Power Station was forced to shut down for 24 hours due to low water levels.In addition, Abkhazia's acting Prime Minister Bganba has called on the government to consider declaring a state of emergency in the energy sector.

ChainCatcher news, the Texas Public Utility Commission has passed a regulation requiring Bitcoin miners using the grid maintained by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to register and share key details about their facilities.According to the recently passed Texas Public Utility Commission (PUCT) rules, Bitcoin miners must share their facility's location, ownership information, and power requirements with state government agencies. Miners have only one business day to register from the date their facility connects to the ERCOT grid, and they must renew their registration by March 1 of each year.ERCOT is an independent system operator that accounts for 90% of the state's electricity load. According to PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson, the new regulations are intended to help manage the grid as more mining facilities come online.Gleeson stated, "To ensure the reliability of the ERCOT grid and meet the electricity needs of all Texans, PUCT and ERCOT need to understand the location and power requirements of virtual currency miners."

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, due to a severe heatwave causing the country to face power shortages, Iran will grant a $24 reward to anyone who reports illegal cryptocurrency mining activities to the authorities.Temperatures in some parts of Iran have soared to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius), putting pressure on the power grid. The CEO of the state-owned power company Tavanir claims that cryptocurrency miners are exacerbating the strain on the grid. Tavanir CEO Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi stated, "Individuals who report each unauthorized cryptocurrency mining device will receive a reward of 1 million tomans." At the current exchange rate, 1 million tomans is approximately worth $24.

ChainCatcher news, according to News.bitcoin, the Paraguayan Senate has passed a series of reforms that change the penalties for energy theft related to cryptocurrency mining. Now, individuals and companies found stealing energy for cryptocurrency mining activities will face up to 10 years in prison, while energy theft for other purposes will face a maximum penalty of 3 years.

ChainCatcher news, according to Protos, the Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Resources of Malaysia stated that from 2018 to 2023, illegal cryptocurrency miners in Malaysia stole electricity worth $722 million.According to the Malay Mail, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir revealed this figure during an event involving the handling of 2,022 seized items, including Bitcoin mining equipment.Akmal Nasrullah stated, "Cryptocurrency miners steal electricity because their locations do not have meters, making this behavior undetectable. However, energy supply companies have various methods to detect abnormal energy consumption in an area."In addition, he claimed that preventing cryptocurrency miners from stealing electricity is a top priority for the Malaysian government.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Bloomberg, the next Bitcoin "halving" is expected to occur around April 20, which will reduce the amount of Bitcoin miners can earn daily by verifying transactions by half. This Bitcoin "halving" may have an impact of about $10 billion on cryptocurrency miners.In addition, the competition among artificial intelligence companies for discounted electricity rates is becoming increasingly fierce, and after the surge in costs, it will also lead to a decline in the revenue of Bitcoin mining companies.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the U.S. Department of Energy's statistical agency, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), has sent a letter to cryptocurrency miners requesting data related to energy consumption and mining configurations. According to the letter posted on social media, miners must report information regarding activities conducted in January by February 23.

ChainCatcher news, Orrick law firm partner Ben Hutten stated that U.S. regulators have been paying attention to cryptocurrencies, and even though miners are not currently the focus, they have reason to remain cautious. If miners provide services to individuals on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list, OFAC may view this as substantial support for sanctioned individuals, which could serve as a basis for imposing sanctions on service providers.CoinShares Bitcoin research director Christopher Bendiksen also agreed with this view, stating that he believes some miners will eventually start reviewing transactions related to addresses on the OFAC list, "this will become a cost of doing business in the West."

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by the Washington Examiner, a screenshot shows that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accidentally leaked the personal information of crypto miners while investigating the decentralized grid blockchain project Green. Part of the investigation included contacting consumers associated with the project, asking them about their purchases of Green products and their experiences. Although members of Green have cooperated with the SEC to answer all relevant questions, the agency failed to send the email addresses of all 650 users confidentially on January 6, thus exposing the names and emails of these individuals.The report states that the accidental leak of personal information during this investigation violates the U.S. Privacy Act of 1974, which prohibits sharing information collected by federal agencies without proper consent. The SEC responded by stating, "Protecting the privacy of all parties is essential, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating this matter." (source link)

According to Chain Catcher news, as reported by Bitcoin.com, Russia and Kazakhstan will amend a bilateral agreement to manage the coordinated operation of their energy systems. The Russian government has ordered the preparation to supply electricity for Kazakhstan's cryptocurrency mining industry. The Russian electricity import and export company Inter RAO will directly sign commercial contracts with Kazakhstani mining companies and sell electricity. (Source link)