Norway Places Temporary Ban on Crypto Mining Data Centres to Prioritise Productive Industries ⋆ ZyCrypto
The post Norway Places Temporary Ban on Crypto Mining Data Centres to Prioritise Productive Industries ⋆ ZyCrypto appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
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  Norway announced plans to ban new data centres, purpose-built for crypto mining, to conserve electricity for more productive businesses, such as industries that employ more Norwegians and improve the country’s economy. Bitcoin and other proof-of-work cryptocurrencies use substantial electricity to validate their ecosystems. In April 2024, the Norwegian government announced plans to restrict data centres to focus resources on more productive forms of work. Norway’s digitisation Minister, Karianne Tung, said the initiative aimed to control and limit undesirable projects such as crypto mining. Terje Aasland, Energy Minister for Norway, said that the main impetus for temporarily banning crypto mining data centres was meeting the nation’s climate targets. Aasland said crypto mining was incompatible with the government’s climate targets because the technology uses excess electricity and doesn’t contribute meaningfully to the nation’s long-term investments. Norway has a history of cracking down on crypto mining. In 2022, the government proposed ending tax incentives for the crypto mining industry, forcing the sector to pay the standard rate for electricity. Trygve Slagsvold, Finance Minister for Norway, said the move was about prioritising energy to benefit the whole community. Slagsvold pointed out that crypto does little to help the local community, yet uses tremendous energy. Norway has been an attractive destination for Bitcoin miners because it powers its grid with 92% of its energy from hydropower. Another 7% of energy is powered by wind sources, making the country an incredibly resourceful economy as far as climate targets are concerned. However, this is not enough for the Norwegian government because it is concerned about the long-term viability of crypto mining. Residents of Hadsel, a Norwegian province, petitioned the government in October 2024 to shut down a local Bitcoin mine. Yet, they suffered a rude shock when their electricity prices skyrocketed due to…
Filed under: News - @ June 21, 2025 10:18 pm