Laos plans to pull plug on crypto miners by early 2026
KUALA LUMPUR: Laos is considering halting electricity supply to cryptocurrency miners by the first quarter of 2026, as it seeks to redirect domestic power to industries that contribute more to economic growth, the country’s deputy energy minister told Reuters.
Crypto operators, drawn by cheap non-fossil energy, flocked to the landlocked Southeast Asian nation following a 2021 policy shift that triggered a rapid expansion in mining activity.
But the government now aims to prioritise power for sectors such as AI data centres, metals refining and electric vehicles, its deputy energy minister Chanthaboun Soukaloun said on Thursday (Oct 16).
Laos has already begun scaling back supply to crypto miners, who currently consume around 150 megawatts…
