Canada restricts crypto mining to protect power grids and promote green industries

Priority is now given to industrial projects that create public value

Canada introduces long-term ban on cryptocurrency mining to conserve energy

21.10.2025 - 09:00

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2 min

Key points:

British Columbia has made a long-term decision to ban new cryptocurrency mining projects.
The province will direct clean energy to industries that create more jobs and contribute to economic development.
The measure is aimed at conserving energy resources and increasing the public benefit from their use.

The Canadian province of British Columbia has banned new cryptocurrency mining projects, tightening controls on the use of clean energy.

The province’s Ministry of Energy said that the state-owned utility BC Hydro will no longer accept applications to connect to the grid for cryptocurrency mining.

The decision comes after a two-year moratorium introduced in 2022. According to officials, it will now become a long-term policy aimed at protecting the energy supply and preventing network overloads.

Protecting the power supply for projects

British Columbia, a global exporter of timber, minerals, and hydropower, plans to redirect energy to industries that bring economic and social benefits. In the future, priority access to the power grid will be given to projects involving natural gas processing and hydrogen production.

The government has stated that cryptocurrency mining consumes a large amount of energy but does not bring significant economic benefits to the province. Redirecting electricity to industries with higher employment and investment potential will create greater public value.

For comparison, current crypto projects would require more than 11 700 GWh per year — enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes across British Columbia.

At the same time, the Bank of Canada has called for the regulation of stablecoins at the national level, so that the country does not lag behind global innovations in the payments field. The financial regulator OSFI is already preparing a legal framework with a focus on licensing, reserve requirements, and consumer protection.

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