Iran’s crypto mining consumes 14% of the country’s electricity deficit, parliamentary report finds

Iran’s parliamentary research arm just put a number on what many suspected: crypto mining is eating a meaningful chunk of the country’s already precarious electricity supply. A report from the Majlis Research Center estimates that mining operations consume between 930 and 1,200 megawatts of electricity, representing roughly 14% of Iran’s power deficit during peak summer months. Averaged across the full year, crypto mining accounts for about 6% of the national electricity shortfall. The math behind the megawatts The Majlis Research Center’s analysis goes beyond raw power consumption to calculate the broader economic toll. Sustaining mining operations at this scale requires approximately 2 billion liters of diesel fuel annually, translating to a financial burden of roughly $1.5B on the national grid. Iran’s state utility Tavanir has previously offered even higher estimates, suggesting that 15-20% of the country’s power deficits are linked to crypto mining operations. During major outages, illicit mining operations could be pulling as much as 2,400 MW from the grid. Subsidized electricity and the IRGC connection Thanks to heavily subsidized electricity rates, the cost of mining a sing...