Norway wants regulation for crypto mining

Norwegian ministers Tung and Aasland say mining is a burden on society and the environment. They call for stricter measures.

The mining industry in Norway faces stricter regulations.

Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalization and Administration, and Energy Minister Terje Aasland announced in the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Corridor a "crackdown on crypto data centers" in the country.

Accordingly, the government plans stricter reporting requirements for data center operators. The background to this is to make mining crypto less attractive.

Specifically, in the future, the government could demand information about who operates data centers, who is responsible and what services are provided.

"We are therefore proposing a law that will regulate the data center industry for the first time," explains Karianne Tung. Norway will be the first country in Europe "to introduce this kind of regulation for data centers."

The goal is to regulate the industry "so we can close the door on projects we don't want." Local politicians would be given a law allowing them to decide for or against the establishment of centers in municipalities.

According to Energy Minister Terje Aasland, this step is "incredibly important." It is essential to "get a good overview of the services offered in these data centers. They are important for infrastructure."

According to Aasland, the mining industry is "an example of a type of business we don't want in Norway." The energy minister cited the industry's high greenhouse gas emissions. Norway is not interested in service providers who want to "buy" cheap electricity, Aasland said.

According to Karianne Tung, mining is "an industry that so far has not been regulated at all. But it will be possible to monitor and control data centers."

Norway does not yet collect data on how many data centers are mining companies in the country. "But we are now getting answers to this question," Tung said.