Residents of the small Norwegian town of Stokmarknes have succeeded in shutting down a large mining farm owned by KryptoVault on the island of Hadsel. However, what they did not foresee was that the closure of the data center would lead to a 20% increase in utility bills.

A major mining farm, KryptoVault, has been shut down after more than five years of controversy and accusations from locals that the company was violating environmental safety regulations and was constantly making noise.

The Stokmarknes farm consumed around 80 GWh per year, equivalent to the energy consumption of around 3,200 average households in Hadsell Municipality, where it was located. The KryptoVault facility provided more than 20% of the local energy company Noranett’s monthly revenue. A Noranett spokesperson said the company had no sources to compensate for the lost revenue, so the amount would be redistributed among Stokmarknes residents, resulting in a commensurate increase in utility bills.

“We are pleased with the closure of the mining facility, as our city had a problem with noise and it was a big problem for the residents. But as they say, after the sweet comes the bitter,” said Mayor Kjell-Bоrge Freiberg.

The mayor of Stokmarknes added that the municipality is currently looking for new projects that can use the excess electricity from the closure of the KryptoVault data center – but this is unlikely to be decided anytime soon.

Paraguayan lawmakers have approved the possibility of supporting national mining operators and selling them excess energy from the Itaipu hydroelectric power plant — instead of exporting it to Brazil or Argentina. The Argentine government believes that it would be appropriate to use excess associated gas from oil fields for bitcoin mining.