Kosovo has banned the mining of cryptocurrencies in an effort to curb energy consumption to mitigate the effects of the European energy crisis. In a statement on Facebook, Kosovo Economy Minister Artane Rizvanolli said the ban is intended to address both short- and long-term energy shortages to protect the country’s economy.
Along with the ban, the government will also allocate resources to identify cryptocurrency mining sites, Rizvanolli said.
The eastern European country has been in a state of emergency since December, as cold weather has knocked out local power plants and forced the government to import more energy than usual due to shortages. The energy shortage has reportedly left many businesses and households facing power outages and rising electricity bills.
The measures, which went into effect last week, were taken based on recommendations from the government’s Technical Committee on Emergency Energy Measures.