Ethiopia cuts power to Bitcoin miners

• Ethiopian Electric Power has reduced miners to 23% of contracted power after reservoir inflows fell 20%.
• Bitcoin miners use about one-third of Ethiopia’s electricity and generate roughly 35% of EEP revenue.
• EEP will review mining power allocations in October, with further cuts possible if water levels remain low.

Ethiopian Electric Power has cut electricity supplies to Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) miners by 75% after lower water inflows reduced hydropower output.

Miners now receive only 23% of their contracted electricity, while households and factories have moved higher in the supply priority.

The cuts followed a roughly 20% fall in reservoir inflows linked to El Niño, putting pressure on Ethiopia’s hydropower system.

Bitcoin miners have become major electricity users in Ethiopia, consuming about one-third of power and generating around 35% of Ethiopian Electric Power’s revenue.

Ethiopia has agreements with 39 mining companies, with 31 already operating, while miners have benefited from electricity priced at about 3.2 US cents per kilowatt-hour.

Hydropower supplies about 95% of Ethiopia’s electricity, while the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam produced 18.3 terawatt-hours last year.

EEP will reassess mining operations in October, and further electricity cuts could follow if reservoir inflows remain weak.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $75,796.73.