Sichuan Becomes Latest Chinese Province to Order Bitcoin Miner Shutdown

The Sichuan branch of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Sichuan Energy Bureau have issued an order to crack down on crypto mining operations in the province on Friday, according to a notice obtained and verified by CoinDesk. 

Sichuan, which is arguably the largest hydro-based crypto mining hub in China, is joining the ranks of Chinese provinces cracking down on bitcoin mining. A number of provinces have been cracking down on mining operations within their borders recently. Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Yunnan have already announced crackdowns or partial bans on the industry.

Municipal governments, city governments and energy providers, including the State Grid Corporation of China, in Sichuan will lead the crackdown. Local authorities plan to shut down 26 companies that have been identified as potential crypto mining businesses by the State Grid. 

These companies are located across 15 hydro-rich counties in five cities and regions in Sichuan province and will be shut down by June 20, according to the notice. 

In the meantime, municipal and city governments will immediately carry out an inspection. Any company that is found to be a crypto mining project during the inspection will be shut down. The local governments are required to report updates on the process to the NDRC by June 25. 

State and provincial level energy providers are required to conduct self-inspection and immediately suspend any crypto mining projects. The electricity companies should enforce the crackdown directive “without any discount”, according to the notice. 

The notice also stresses the responsibilities of local governments in the crackdown. “Local governments must show and be more aware of their political stance, must guarantee the quality and quantity of the crackdown and maintain social stability,” the notice said. 

The news came after Chinese local media reported miners at Ya’an in Sichuan province had received a notice that required them to shut off mining operations for self-inspection on Thursday night. Miners were expecting an official notice on Friday.

Read the full notice below:

UPDATE (June 18, 2021, 16:05 UTC): Updated with a translation of the notice.