How to affect mining the growth of electricity tariffs

The participants in the industry told RBC Crypto About the changes that occur in the cryptocurrency production industry amid the increase in electricity tariffs

Electricity is one of the most significant costs for miners, since the equipment for the production of cryptocurrencies consumes a significant amount of energy. One device from the last generation can consume about 3.5 kWh, or about 2.5 MW per month, and there are thousands of such machines at industrial facilities.

Since July 1, electricity in Russia has risen in price. According to the forecast of the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation for 2025–2027, this year the increase in tariffs for the transfer of electricity for the Unified National Merstese (ENEP) will be 11.5%, network companies-11.6%.

The industry experts told RBC Crypto how the increase in tariffs affects the business, what companies do to minimize difficulties, and who will have the worst of all.

“Reserve of strength”

Leading market participants use the internal risk management system, and the increase in electricity prices in it is taken into account, says an independent expert in blockchain, energy and digital finance Oleg Ogienko. According to him, the annual planned indexation of electricity tariffs does not affect the energy -intensive business radically, but still gives a negative signal.

“The most advanced companies initially relieve the price of the price curve at the bottom of the cost of electricity, connecting to the network and consuming energy with the greatest efficiency. This gives a certain margin of safety, ”Ogienko explained.

At the same time, he noted that, of course, such a leading inflation increase in energy prices reduces the competitiveness of Russian industrial mining as a whole. The expert noted that customers and investors, especially foreign ones, begin to choose other jurisdictions, for example, the United States, where a real mining boom is now taking place.

Expanding cooperation with fuel and energy systems

In current economic conditions, the construction of new data centers in Russia is reduced, especially in regions with high prices for electricity, GIS Mining notes. Miners are guided by energy -watering areas with inexpensive electricity or regions, where you can control prices at the expense of their own generation. High interest is observed in joint projects with oil and gas companies offering to use associated gas for electricity.

Now, first of all, the miner is looking for partners among vertically integrated oil and gas and generating companies, concludes new partnerships, said the owner and general director of GIS MINING Vasily Girya. According to him, the company intensively analyzes the possibilities of cooperation with energy generating companies using gas to generate electric and thermal energy and, by the beginning of the next year, plans to develop the direction of construction of the data center on gas generation.

For reference: the life cycle of equipment for energy-intensive calculations (cryptocurrency mining) at industrial facilities has two stages, during which electricity is used differently. The first stage – the latest equipment is purchased and used 100% in uninterrupted mode of operation, providing targeted profitability. This stage is tied to the extraction and accumulation of bitcoin. After three to four years of use, the technique is obsolete. The second stage – the equipment is transported to other sites using the so -called night tariff. Aptim (uninterrupted work) decreases to 65–70%, the electricity tariff is reduced by about 30%. Tarty software is often installed on equipment. This equipment can still work, as a rule, one and a half to three years.

Against the backdrop of a significant decrease in Russian gas exports to Western European countries, there is an expansion of cooperation between Russian TEK companies with industrial mining, Girya says. He emphasized that this allows you to get revenue in dollars and bitcoins without political and operational risks.

In addition, the expert noted that for the industry, in addition to Russian energy -watering regions, some other countries also look strategically attractive. Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Belarus classified them to them.

“The profitability remains attractive”

The increase in tariffs since July 1 was a surprise, says Maxim Simutkin, director of development, energy and construction of Intelion. He said that all changes were approved in December last year and in the company in advance provided appropriate adjustments in the project economy.

But, in addition to the growth of tariffs, the reinforcement of the ruble is now influencing the profitability of mining, Simutkin noted. He added that in fact, the ruble was strengthened by more than 20%, which affected profit.

“Nevertheless, even under such conditions, cryptocurrency mining continues to bring high profitability – according to current calculations, for new devices it exceeds 60% and remains attractive, despite the increase in costs or temporary strengthening of the national currency,” Simutkin said.

Who will not be easy

Since this year, mining is limited to part of the territories of Russia. In the republics of the North Caucasus, LPR, DPR, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions, as well as in the south of the Irkutsk region, cryptocurrency mining is prohibited until March 15, 2031. In Buryatia and the Trans -Baikal Territory, mining cannot be engaged in heating seasons. The restrictions are associated with the local energy deficit.

According to the Federal Tax Service (Federal Tax Service) as of April 1, 2025, most legal miners are now registered in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Irkutsk Region and Tatarstan. In the last region alone, more than 5 thousand mining farms work, according to the information of the Tatarstan Ministry of Council.

The worst of all from the current increase in electricity prices will be the data centers in the European part of Russia and other regions where the mining business balances on the verge of profitability, Oleg Ogienko believes. In his opinion, in general, it is also difficult to “white” a business segment with growing costs, while for the shadow sector there is more space for maneuver.

According to Vasily Giri, it will not be easy for market participants to continue working in the northern regions of the Irkutsk region, because there are now differentiated tariffs for electricity. The expert also noted that the negative consequences will become a noticeable pressure factor on the owners of the old -generation equipment, most of it already works into a minus – and with an increase in tariffs it will be even more difficult for them.

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