The Canadian province of Manitoba has decided to extend the suspension on new requests for electrical service from Manitoba Hydro, the government-owned agency, for cryptocurrency operations. Similarly, British Columbia (BC) has implemented a suspension on service but has taken a different, yet equally restrictive, approach.
The extension in Manitoba applies to new requests from crypto miners and any requests for electric service that have not yet resulted in the construction of infrastructure. Initially implemented in November 2022, the government paused electrical connections to crypto-mining operations for a period of 18 months. However, this pause has now been extended until April 30, 2026. The province intends to use this time to develop a long-term solution, as stated in an official announcement:
“In 2022, Jay Grewal, the CEO of Manitoba Hydro at the time, stated, ‘If we were to connect every cryptocurrency operator who has expressed interest in the past 16 months, our total electrical load would increase by 4,600 megawatts.’ At that time, the organization’s overall capacity was 6,100 megawatts.”
Hydro-Québec, another power utility, proposed a temporary reduction in electricity provision to crypto operations in November 2022. Similarly, in November 2023, New Brunswick banned the provision of electricity to new crypto operations.
In December 2022, British Columbia announced a suspension on new connections to crypto miners for a duration of 18 months. This decision affected 21 projects. On April 11, the BC government introduced amendments to its Utilities Commission Act to regulate electricity service for cryptocurrency miners. Josie Osborne, the Provincial Energy Minister, explained:
“These new amendments would grant the BC government the authority to prohibit, restrict, or regulate service to crypto miners. BC offers some of the lowest commercial and industrial electricity rates in North America.”
For more information on cryptocurrency in Canada, refer to the magazine “Crypto City: The Ultimate Guide to Vancouver.”