Kazakhstan Raises Energy Bills For Crypto Miners This Year

Cryptocurrency miners in Kazakhstan are paying more for their energy this year, as the government moves to encourage the use of renewables and curb the excessive electricity use that is contributing to shortages. Under a new tax code that came into force on January 1, Astana introduced a sliding scale for a previously flat surcharge on energy use for cryptocurrency miners that first came into force last year. Last January, the miners began paying a surcharge of 1 tenge, worth about $0.002, per kilowatt hour. A year on, some miners are paying up…