Venezuela has recently banned the trade in crypto mining in the country. The ban is mainly aimed at citizens who reside in all government-owned houses and in all their surrounding vicinity. In a maiden announcement on Friday, Minister of Habitat and Housing, Iidemaro Villarroel, said that the continued use of crypto mining could have an impact on the distribution of electricity in the country.
Besides, the Minister said Crypto ‘s ban on mining was part of the Great Home Project. In his speech, the Minister revealed that crypto mining and other instruments involved in its operations consumed a lot of power. This, in turn, violated the government’s already formulated electricity distribution policy. He added,” In this coordinated work, we have detected the harmful effects of these elements of high electrical demand in the public houses of the Grand Mision Vivienda project.”
Venezuela’s Great home project plans
The Great Home Projects (Gran Misión Vivienda) involve the government’s plans to provide grant housing to local Venezuelan citizens with low incomes. The government is targeting the poor and providing them with adequate housing despite the harsh economic environment that the county is currently facing. And the government has also managed to deliver around 3 million homes to the citizens in their efforts towards the project.
Around 151 houses were also distributed to different families in the nation’s capital of Caracas; back last year. It is precisely these government-owned houses and their surroundings that have notified the ban. They insist that all crypto mining trades in these households are considered illegal and a crime punishable by law.
Crypto mining effects on the country’s electricity supply system
The Venezuela government has attributed the Crypto mining trade to directly affecting the power grid. They insist the mining process tends to consume a lot of power, thus affecting the distribution of electricity throughout the country. Back in 2019, there were reports of the national electrical shutdown after the Guri hydroelectric dam failed; further proving a significant problem that needs to be addressed.