Large mining farm found in Astrakhan region

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After a fire near a recreation center, Astrakhan power engineers discovered a burnt-out mining rig, the damage from which is estimated at more than 3.5 million rubles.

A fire broke out at a transformer station near the recreation center near the village of Mansur in the Privolzhsky District.

Firefighters extinguished the fire, after which power engineers began restoration work. They found a metal box at the scene, which contained a 250 kW transformer installed bypassing the electricity meter, Rosseti-Yug reported on September 7 on its page on the VKontakte social network.

Along with the transformer, cryptocurrency mining machines were also found; they were damaged by fire. According to preliminary data, the short circuit in the transformer substation occurred precisely because of the operation of the mining farm.

According to preliminary estimates by Astrakhanenergo, the volume of electricity theft during the operation of the mining farm amounted to about 985 thousand kWh, worth more than 3.5 million rubles. The owners of the farm have not yet been found.

Earlier, "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote about 11 mining farms found in July in the homes of residents of the village of Levashi in Dagestan as a result of raids, the damage from which was estimated at at least 1.7 million rubles.

The authorities of the regions of southern Russia have repeatedly pointed out the problem with mining farms. In particular, on December 16, 2024, the head of Dagestan Sergey Melikov signed an appeal to the Russian government with a request to ban cryptocurrency mining in the republic, taking into account the growing load on the power grid.