Cryptocurrency from the garage: miners have found a way not to pay extra for electricity

Differentiated electricity tariffs for the population came into force this year.: those who consume more than the set ranges pay more. This is one of the measures to combat, in particular, gray mining, which has become a serious problem in a number of regions, for example, in the Irkutsk region.However, miners are finding ways to circumvent the new rules. So, the governor of Irkutsk region Igor Kobzev noted that in January, energy consumption in garage cooperatives in the region increased by 114% compared to December, which may indicate an increase in gray mining. Read more about how the government's actions affect the situation with illegal mining in the Izvestia article.

According to the new tariffs

Since January 1, electricity tariffs have been in effect in most regions of Russia. The meaning is simple: you spend more, you pay more. The Government has identified three consumption ranges and the corresponding tariffs for them. The first range, while maintaining a preferential tariff, is 3,900 kWh per month, the second with an economically reasonable tariff is 6,000 kWh per month, and the third, with a tariff like that of industrial consumers, is more than 6,000 kWh.

These actions are designed to change the situation with non-household electricity consumption, when people, using a preferential tariff, conduct business activities, including engaging in illegal mining of cryptocurrencies.

There are different attitudes towards diphtharifs in the regions, but the innovation was most acutely perceived in the Irkutsk region, the capital of gray mining in the Russian Federation. The governor pointed out that due to the extremely low level of gasification (about 2%), most residents use electric heating, so tariff differentiation will greatly affect their payments. As a result of the discussions, it was decided to establish an increasing coefficient of 1.8 to the fixed ranges in regions with low gasification levels in order to reduce the financial burden on the population.

Garage farms

Garages and garage cooperatives pay for electricity at the same rate as residents of the region. However, traditionally, electricity is spent much less in garages than in residential buildings, since there is no need to install household electrical appliances. Therefore, many illegal miners take advantage of this and now install cryptocurrency farms in garages.

Earlier, the head of the association "Community of Energy Consumers" Valery Dzyubenko told the publication Kommersant on the consequences of gray mining: "The first is the growth of crossroads, when legal businesses and budget institutions pay for preferential tariffs for the population: children's kindergartens, schools, and so on. And, accordingly, taxpayers are also "sponsors" of "gray mining". There are growing requests for additional benefits and additional funding, and this disparity sets the wrong signals for socio-economic development. Technically, the networks, of course, cannot withstand this. Colleagues from the field say that residential buildings and garages are buzzing in the city. Accordingly, blackouts occur, and those who do not do this suffer."

According to Irkutskenergosbyt, the majority of detached garages (74%) consume no more than 325 kWh per month. At the same time, 19% of garages consume within the first range (up to 3,900 kWh per month), and another 7% consume more than 3,900 kWh per month. It is noteworthy that 3% of garages consume more than 6,000 kWh. These are abnormal indicators that may indicate the presence of mining farms in garages. The proof of this is that at night such garages do not reduce the amount of electricity used.

Solution option

The problem of "garage mining" in the Irkutsk region does exist, Evgeny Vechkanov, adviser to the mayor of the Irkutsk regional Municipality, agrees with the power engineers. According to him, the main reason is that the tariff sets high limits for electricity consumption ranges that are far from the real needs of ordinary consumers. This makes it possible for garage owners to abuse limits by mining.

— In my opinion, garages should receive much less power than they should today. From 300 to 500 kWh is a very adequate indicator, at best — up to 1000 kWh in winter for garages with electric heating. There are also owners of electric vehicles who can charge them in garages, but there will be up to 1,500 kWh behind their eyes — I know from my own experience. Garages definitely don't consume 3,900 kWh of electricity, let alone 6,000 kWh," notes Vechkanov.

He also adds that it is quite simple to calculate the presence of a farm in the garage. If, for example, the average electricity consumption of a garage is 500 kWh, then all that is higher is mining with a very high probability.

Consumption of over 3,900 kWh per month is abnormal not only for garages, but also for large households. According to an analysis by the Irkutsk Region Tariff Service, about 94% of homes in the Irkutsk Region fell within the consumption range of the first range. For this reason, it is impractical to talk today about the need to increase the boundaries for preferential tariff setting.

Legal mining: the reverse effect of the ban

Since the new year, there has also been a ban on legal mining of cryptocurrencies in those regions where energy systems are currently operating at their maximum capacity. The ban is in effect in Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Chechnya, Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, in the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Mining is prohibited during the heating period in the Irkutsk Region, certain areas of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory.

An assessment of the effect of the ban has yet to be carried out, but it is obvious that it has not affected gray mining in any way. Legal mining does not harm the operation of energy systems — major players connect to the network at the declared capacity, pay taxes, create jobs, and help regulate the load on the energy system. The trouble for the regions has become precisely gray mining, which creates an excessive load on the network, increases the risks of failures and fires, and the miners themselves do not pay any taxes.

Previously Izvestia it was written that, according to experts, along with the ban on white mining, the likelihood of a legal business moving into a gray zone increases. Indeed, according to Irkutskenergosbyt's statistics, the share of garages in the Irkutsk region consuming over 3,900 kWh per month increased by 2% in January.

The current situation raises the question of the need for additional regulation of areas related to gray mining. It may make sense to consider the introduction of a ban on the placement of special equipment in the residential sector. According to Evgeny Vechkanov, the only way to fix the situation is to differentiate tariffs more deeply and change the ranges depending on consumption goals.

— It is necessary that houses with electric heating have their own energy consumption limits, apartments with central heating have their own, garden houses and garages have their own. In the meantime, we have the same ranges for a barn, a garage, and a house, regardless of its size, gray miners are unlikely to reduce activity," the expert is sure.