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One of Canada's largest utilities is planning to make blockchain companies bid for access to electricity.
Hydro Quebec says it will set aside a 500MW block of power that will be reserved for companies that are "using cryptography as applied to blockchain technology." Access to that block will be subject to a bidding process and companies that want to operate their servers and miners will be required to make bids in order to get power.
The starting rate for the bids will be an increase of 1 cent per kilowatt hour above the current price.
The move is an effort by Hydro Quebec to get a handle on an explosion of blockchain related activity (read: cryptocoin mining) that has caused a power crunch in Quebec. The company said earlier this month that it needed to take emergency measures to limit consumption and that "demand exceeds Hydro-Québec’s short and medium-term capacity."
The process will not just be based on how much money companies are willing to spend. Hydro Quebec says it will also consider job implications in the bids, and companies that plan to hire people in Quebec and deliver higher paying jobs (calculated in payroll per MW) will get higher consideration.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday June 24 2018, @01:33AM (2 children)
And sometimes societies kill millions of innocent people. Doesn't make it a good idea.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday June 24 2018, @07:12AM (1 child)
What part of limiting crypt miners energy usage kills millions of people?
Or were you just trying to Godwin the thread?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday June 24 2018, @09:23AM
The idea where if society does it, then it must be a good thing.