Kazakhstan Unplugged Bitcoin Miners Before Blackout Hit Region

Kazakhstan cut off companies mining cryptocurrencies from its electricity supply a day before parts of the country were hit by blackouts, the country’s latest clampdown on an industry it once welcomed.

Kazakhstan has blocked companies mining cryptocurrencies from Jan. 24 to Jan. 31, a spokeswoman for state-run grid operator Kegoc said, confirming an earlier story by Informburo.kz. A blackout hit parts of the country on Tuesday.

Kazakhstan’s popularity among Bitcoin miners -- the country hosted the world’s second-largest mining industry as of August -- has already strained its power infrastructure, prompting the government to place big limits on the energy-intensive ...