Iran's Power Crisis Worsens Amid Allegations of Crypto Mining Contribution

Iran is facing a severe power crisis, with daily electricity outages reported across several provinces. Citizens are not only experiencing prolonged blackouts but also facing significantly higher electricity bills. The situation has sparked widespread discontent among Iranians.

A follower in Kerman shared that their electricity bill reached 1 million tomans despite six-hour power cuts during the summer. Another citizen from Kashan pointed out that they still don't get electricity for two hours a day, and when they do, it's inconsistent.

The head of the Energy Committee at the Chamber of Commerce, Arash Najafi, has stated that Iran's electricity deficit exceeds 23,000 to 24,000 megawatts. The Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi had previously claimed that low electricity prices would incentivize increased consumption, but this appears not to be the case.

Some citizens have pointed out that their electricity bills no longer include consumption quantities or meter readings, making it difficult for them to understand how their final amounts are calculated. A follower in Shiraz reported a bill increase from 230,000 tomans to 1.4 million tomans, with a drastic drop in 'normal consumption' from 300 to 80 kilowatt-hours.

An Isfahan citizen accused IRGC-affiliated cryptocurrency mining devices of contributing to the electricity deficit, citing an estimate that such mining accounts for about 14 percent of the average electricity deficit during hot months. The Iranian Parliament Research Center made this estimate recently.