According to Cointelegraph , after a Bitcoin mine in the Norwegian city of Hadsel was forced to close by the local government due to noise problems, the power company's revenue was damaged, and local residents may face 2,500 to 3,000 Norwegian kroner per year as a result. electricity bills increased. Climate technology venture capitalist Daniel Batten commented in an X tweet on September 13:
“When politicians make misleading accusations about Bitcoin, it’s the people who ultimately suffer.”
Hadesel Mayor Kjell-Børge Freiberg said in an interview with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) on September 13 that local residents had repeatedly protested to the local government, saying that the noise problem from the Bitcoin mine disrupted their daily life. Life, according to City Population data, Hadsell has a population of approximately 8,236 people. Finally, at the request of the local government, the Bitcoin mine was closed the week of September 9.
While many residents are happy with the closure after years of protests, the mine accounts for about 20% of local electricity distributor Noranett's revenue and consumes about 80 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity annually, equivalent to about 3,200 homes. Annual electricity consumption. This means local electricity rates will increase after the mine closes to make up for lost revenue. Noranett Grid Manager Robin Jakobsen said:
"When an individual customer on such a large scale ceases operations overnight, it's bound to have an impact."
He estimates that after adjustments, the average household in Hadsel could see an increase in costs of NOK 2,500 to 3,000 per year (equivalent to approximately US$235 to US$280).
Mayor Freiberg said the city will look for new projects to make up for the reduced power consumption after the mine closes.
However, this is not the first case of complaints against Bitcoin mining facilities in Norway. In September 2022, residents of Sortland, another Norwegian town, also complained about the noise from local Bitcoin mining activities.
At the same time, Arkansas in the United States recently passed a bill to impose noise restrictions on cryptocurrency mines. The bill is being sent to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders for approval, and it is reported that she has said she will sign it into law.
