Q.) Can Bitcoin mining activity affect the local population, increasing energy prices for them?
A.) I copy here part of my report to the Salvadoran authorities of March 9th, 2022:
“Bitcoin mining must be socially useful. It must not compete with traditional demand, ever. It must be set up where there is an extra capacity in order to optimize the installed capacity/consumption ratio.
Organised in this way, mining becomes a blessing for a country. Otherwise, it can quickly become a threat to the supply of the population and can create a kind of chaotic situation. It therefore seems that mining must absolutely be supervised by the state, both for the comfort of the population and for the reputation of bitcoin and its exploitation. For us, the ideal model should be a win-win situation for both the private miners and the country; so far, that has never quite been the case.
In order to respect the fundamental rule of non-competition with the population, the miner must agree to stop his activity immediately in the event of an unexpected peak of demand in the network.
Finally, mining must be mobile, in containers, in order to be able to adapt to the evolution of the electrical map of the country.”
reply
Q.) Since then, there’s been a big shift of Bitcoin mining towards the US. What are its drivers?
A.) Security and mass availability of cheap electricity.
reply
This article was posted previously on SN as well:
LN Markets Newsletter: Bitcoin Mining, Gamified Trading, and much more! #16235 https://lnmarkets.substack.com/p/45-special-bitcoin-mining-issue-gamified
reply