Hydro-Quebec considers special rates for Bitcoin miners as demand surges
MONTREAL — Hydro-Quebec may consider raising its rates for energy-hogging cryptocurrency miners, the utility said Thursday as requests continue to pour in from virtual currency companies looking to establish themselves in the province.
Spokesman Marc-Antoine Pouliot said more than 100 cryptocurrency companies have expressed interest in coming to Quebec to take advantage of the province’s rock-bottom energy prices.
“We’ve had such an important volume (of requests) that there are questions being asked on the tariff offered and the quantity of clients we’ll be able to plug in,” he said in a phone interview.
Pouliot said a few Bitcoin mining operations have already been established, and Hydro-Quebec is analyzing dozens more requests.