Illegal Crypto Farm on Lake Baikal Banks Busted for Massive Energy Theft

In a striking discovery, power engineers from Oblkommunenergo in the Irkutsk Region unveiled a clandestine crypto-mining operation consuming roughly 1 million kWh of electricity on the picturesque shores of Lake Baikal. The unauthorized miner had set up shop in an incomplete building in the settlement of Listvyanka, even installing a private transformer substation to siphon off the electricity, according to Interfax-russia.

Despite having a contracted maximum capacity of 250 kW, the power engineers detected an excessive load during routine checks. The owner had reported zero consumption recently, but the site inspection revealed otherwise, with mining equipment noise emanating from the building’s basement.

This incident sheds light on the broader issue in Irkutsk, where low electricity tariffs have attracted both “grey” miners, who exploit municipal power networks for mining, and large-scale industrial operations. The result is a growing energy deficit in a region now dubbed the unofficial mining capital of Russia. The authorities have pledged to seek compensation for the stolen electricity, highlighting the challenges of unregulated cryptocurrency mining in energy-rich locales.”