Iran’s national electricity distribution company has released a new schedule of rolling blackouts across various provinces, signaling the return of power outages following the 12-day war between Iran’s regime and Israel.
The schedule comes after a 12-day period of uninterrupted power supply during the attacks. Now, in an effort to compensate for a nationwide capacity shortage, the Ministry of Energy has reinstated its model of region-based and scheduled blackouts.
What makes this decision more significant are recent remarks by Mohammad Allahdad, Deputy for Transmission and Foreign Trade at Tavanir (Iran Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Company). Explaining the impact of the war on the national grid, Allahdad stated that electricity consumption dropped sharply during the internet shutdown that occurred over this period.
According to him, at least 2,400 megawatts of load were shed from the national grid during the days of conflict. This drop was primarily due to the shutdown of more than 900,000 cryptocurrency mining machines across the country, which were forced offline because of their dependence on internet connectivity.
Bitcoin Mining in #Iran, #IRGC Operations and the Power Grid Crisishttps://t.co/XlSLOyWBIO
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 26, 2025
Allahdad emphasized that the 2,400-megawatt reduction accounts for roughly 15% of the country’s electricity shortfall—indicating that cryptocurrency mining contributes significantly to the pressure on Iran’s energy infrastructure.
The Hidden Shadow of Crypto Miners on the Power Grid
At the same time, domestic reports indicate that some crypto miners continued operations even during the internet shutdown by connecting to satellite networks such as Starlink.
A statistical comparison of electricity consumption during the internet blackout and after its restoration allows for the identification of regions with unusually high energy usage caused by mining machines. These data could provide a geographic map of mining concentration across the country.
Another strong indicator of Iran’s growing role in the global cryptocurrency mining market is the recent sudden drop of more than 5% in the global Bitcoin hash rate during Iran’s internet blackout. Some analysts interpret this decline as evidence of Iran’s significant share in global Bitcoin production.
Iran’s estimated 5% share in the Bitcoin network translates to roughly 500 megawatts of power consumption, while the country’s current electricity deficit is estimated at around 20,000 megawatts. This discrepancy, especially when compared to the sharp 2,400-megawatt drop in power usage during the internet blackout, raises numerous questions about the real sources of energy consumption in the country.
Some analysts believe that the reduction in electricity use may be less about the halt of crypto mining and more about behavioral changes during wartime, including evacuations, temporary relocations to safer areas, and reduced household consumption. However, the lack of transparency in official reporting on the actual figures for electricity production, consumption, and loss in the national grid has left room for speculation and doubt.
Under these circumstances, the role of cryptocurrency mining in the ongoing power crisis has once again become a contentious issue—especially since in February 2025, the Ministry of Energy stated that miners accounted for more than 20% of the country’s electricity consumption. If accurate, this figure would suggest a widespread, networked presence of mining operations across the nation.
This claim also strengthens suspicions that the government is unable—or unwilling—to shut down or control these operations, due to their deep ties with military and intelligence institutions such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Exposés on mining activity in places like dairy farms, factories, mosques, and even schools reveal that owners of these devices, confident in their legal immunity, have established a vast and protected nationwide network.
At the start of this year, Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi acknowledged the rise in unauthorized mining and stated that such operations are secretly expanding.
Widespread Blackouts as Summer Peaks: Miners Profit, Citizens Suffer
Mohammad Allahdad, Deputy for Transmission and Foreign Trade at Tavanir, had earlier stated that cryptocurrency mining in Iran began in 2019. According to him, miners initially installed their machines openly in industrial facilities. However, following the authorities’ initial crackdown, violators began hiding the equipment among Iran’s 42 million household, commercial, and agricultural electricity users. Due to their small size, concealing these devices in various locations is easy and inexpensive.
Nonetheless, Allahdad admitted that over 50% of the active mining devices are still installed in industrial zones, which receive subsidized electricity intended for manufacturing and essential goods production.
Mandatory Power Outages in Iran’s Government Offices https://t.co/cbgEvWgwOD pic.twitter.com/yYe034NdnE
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) May 10, 2025
Iran’s Meteorological Organization has warned that temperatures in Tehran will soon exceed 40°C, while many parts of the country are already approaching 50°C. In such conditions, power outages—especially given that residential water pumps rely on the national grid—will pose serious public health risks to citizens.
Many experts believe the persistence of this situation reflects the inability or unwillingness of responsible bodies to crack down on profiteers in the crypto mining sector. The vast and opaque network operating without licenses—and protected by quasi-governmental entities—feeds off subsidized electricity and constitutes a powerful shadow structure that benefits only a select few.
