China’s attitude to Bitcoin mining has often been a complex one, but one local government has publicly advertised the region’s suitability for hydro-electric crypto mining. Ya’an, a city in Sichuan province, recently published an opinion piece on the ways in which the plentiful water supplies in the region are perfectly suited to “support the development of blockchain industry”.
Ya’an Turns to Crypto Mining
The report by the Ya’an Municipal People’s Government, snappily titled Implementation Opinions on Building Hydropower Consumption Demonstration Zones to Support the Development of Blockchain Industry, discusses the desire of the local Reform Commission to make the most of the region’s natural resources and establish crypto mining in the area:
[The Reform Commision aims to] give full play to our city’s hydropower resources, seize major strategic opportunities in the development of the blockchain industry, promote the healthy and orderly development of blockchain technology and industry, promote the high-quality consumption of hydropower resources, and cultivate new growth points.
The Qingyi River flows through the center of Ya’ang district, fed by three tributaries along the way, offering ample opportunities for hydroelectric operations. This geographical quirk, along with “Ya’an’s advantages in element security, industrial layout, location conditions, ecological climate, etc”, make in a viable candidate for becoming a blockchain mining hub.
Potential Electricity Generation Too
The paper also discusses the potential for simultaneous creation of hydroelectric power for the region, suggesting that the city could take advantage of the same process used in the Greenidge electricity generation plant in New York state, where Bitcoin is mined and electricity generated from the same facility.
Ya’an to Create “Demonstration Area”
The commission hopes to create a “hydropower consumption demonstration zone” and a “big data industry gathering area” to highlight the potential in the region, in the hopes of attracting outside investment.
Whether Ya’an manages to reach its goals or not, the fact that a Chinese city is actively promoting Bitcoin mining shows how far the country has come in its relationship with the venture. The industry used to be dominated by China, but recent years have seen it lose ground to the US and other countries who have prioritized much cleaner methods of crypto mining, resulting in lower costs.
