Representatives of housing and utility Chelan County in the US state of Washington has announced that electricity rates will rise for miners from 1 January 2017. It is reported by North-West Public Radio.
Prior to that the tariffs for electricity in the state of Washington to be acceptable for the majority of companies specializing in the production cryptocurrency. The new solution is the county government can significantly reduce their incomes and lead to the closure of some of them in this county.
In the company statement says that electricity prices will rise to the so-called "high-density customer" - that is, for those who "uses 250 kilowatt hours per square foot per year" to cover mayningovye farms that consume electricity 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Company representatives say that the miners will not feel the increase in prices immediately, as the innovations include a 5-year transition period. During this period the existing customers will be able to demonstrate a significant investment, and full compliance with the rules.
authorities' decision can not be called unexpected. So, a few years ago, the influx of companies engaged in mining cryptocurrency Bitcoin was marked in the rich hydropower Chelan County.
In late 2014 the district authorities imposed a moratorium on the creation of new companies that create "excessive burden" due to the relatively cheap rates in the state of Washington and the availability of the necessary infrastructure.
Representatives of the utility argued that the decision to raise prices quite fair and balanced - it is the result of negotiations (lasting several months) officials and members of the public.
- Said Commissioner Dennis Bolsa in a statement - ". This assignment authorities for companies who are afraid to go broke because of this innovation Within two years, a large collective work to resolve this issue five-year transition period has been done."
Earlier this year, miners working in Chelane and surrounding counties, criticized the planned increase in electricity prices, believing that in the end it could leave them without work.
Recall that in the state is one of the largest farms for mining Bitcoins - Farm Dave Carlson (MegaBigPower), who started the Main in an industrial scale in the summer of 2013. One of the factors that contributed to the successful development of its business, Carlson calls the fact that Washington boasts one of the lowest in the United States tariffs on electricity consumption.