Almost 5,144 centers involved in illegal cryptomining were shut since last year.
Fars News Agency said the collective power consumption of the banned centers was close to 607 megawatts, whereas undetected illegal centers were reportedly using 1,180 megawatts.
Cryptominers were blamed for the chronic power shortages last summer that fueled frustration across the board despite the fact that the share of legal miners in the total electricity consumption was and is meager.
According to the official reports, Tehran Province accounted for the largest number of unauthorized miners, followed by Khorasan Razavi and East Azarbaijan provinces and some southern regions where electricity rates are lower due to the hot climate.
Mining virtual currency is legal in Iran and miners can operate under rules approved by the government in July 2019. Mining the digital currencies without an operational license from the Ministry of Industries is illegal.
When found the utility confiscates illegal miners' equipment and their electricity is cut. They also must pay for the damages they inflict on the national grid that often struggles to meet rising demand, especially in the hot summer months.
However, illegal farms have cropped up with increasing speed using subsidized electricity because they must pay much higher tariffs if they operate with a permit.
The Raisi administration has prepared a new bill to regulate the work of cryptocurrency mining units and is expected to change the rules announced by the former government.
The new bill, according to Way2pay website, bans cryptomining and all related services, including importing, producing, selling and installing mining hardware, except for those with a valid license.
In the new bill, the government has tasked the National Security Council, provincial and local security authorities, the Law Enforcement Forces and the relevant executive departments to collaborate with the energy and oil ministries in finding and closing illegal mining centers.
The ICT Ministry is specifically tasked to develop an online platform to identify and locate those involved cryptomining.
Authorized cryptominers have several options for buying power. They can set up their own renewable power plants or purchase power from newly-established renewable plants. They can take part or invest in energy-efficiency plans and receive incentives. They may also buy electricity from the Energy Exchange.
