Authorities in Sichuan — a southwestern Chinese province that was once a hotbed for crypto mining, thanks to its abundant hydropower resources — is tightening scrutiny of small hydropower stations, without giving any exact reasons behind the move.
Fast facts
- The Sichuan Provincial Water Resources Department said that it had listed 5,131 small hydropower stations for environmental protection-related “rectification,” according to a statement.
- As of June 30, a total of 243 small hydropower stations remained in operation, 3,528 had completed rectification, and another 1,360 had seen their operations suspended, the authority said.
- Last month, crypto mining operations in Sichuan became targets of a government crackdown, and some local power stations were reportedly told to cut supply to mining farms.
- In recent months, Chinese provincial and other administrators, including authorities in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Yunnan and Sichuan, have clamped down on crypto mining, and Chinese miners have been decamping to countries where they are less unwelcome.