{"id":44410,"date":"2025-10-17T11:35:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T11:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/laos-to-end-electricity-supply-to-crypto-miners-by-2026-to-power-industrial-growth\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T11:35:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T11:35:16","slug":"laos-to-end-electricity-supply-to-crypto-miners-by-2026-to-power-industrial-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/laos-to-end-electricity-supply-to-crypto-miners-by-2026-to-power-industrial-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Laos to end electricity supply to crypto miners by 2026 to power industrial growth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Laos is preparing to disconnect cryptocurrency miners from its national grid by the first quarter of 2026, as per a Reuters report.<\/p>\n

The government says the move will help redirect valuable electricity to sectors that contribute more directly to long-term economic growth, such as artificial intelligence data centres, metals refining, and electric vehicle manufacturing.<\/p>\n

The decision marks a sharp turn in Laos\u2019 energy policy, which once welcomed miners seeking cheap, renewable electricity. <\/p>\n

But as energy demand from emerging industries rises, authorities are prioritising sectors that generate jobs, boost exports, and strengthen the domestic economy.<\/p>\n

Laos rethinks energy priorities<\/h2>\n

Laos opened its doors to crypto mining in 2021, attracting operators with surplus hydropower and low tariffs. <\/p>\n

The industry quickly expanded, consuming around 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity at its peak between 2021 and 2022.<\/p>\n

But by this year, that figure had dropped to 150 MW, Deputy Energy Minister Chanthaboun Soukaloun told the news agency in an interview.<\/p>\n

Soukaloun said the government initially approved power allocation to miners to absorb an oversupply of electricity. <\/p>\n

However, as per the report, the ministry now believes that \u201ccrypto doesn\u2019t create value\u201d when compared to supplying industries with tangible outputs and employment opportunities.<\/p>\n

The deputy minister confirmed that Laos had considered ending supply earlier in 2025 but continued operations temporarily due to heavy rainfall that boosted hydropower generation.<\/p>\n

The surplus allowed increased exports to neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam while still supporting some mining operations.<\/p>\n

Now, with demand from high-value industries accelerating, Laos aims to cut supply entirely by the end of the first quarter of 2026.<\/p>\n

From crypto hub to regional power exporter<\/h2>\n

Known as the \u201cbattery of Southeast Asia,\u201d Laos has built its economy around hydropower exports, which are crucial for neighbouring nations trying to decarbonise their energy mix.<\/p>\n

Most of its electricity is sold to independent power producers in Thailand and Vietnam through cross-border deals.<\/p>\n

The government plans to increase bilateral export capacity to Vietnam, which currently stands at about 8,000 MW. <\/p>\n

Soukaloun said talks are also underway to resume exports to Singapore through the Lao-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (LTMS) power transmission corridor.<\/p>\n

Exports through the corridor were suspended after Thailand delayed finalising an extension to the agreement, but officials from all four countries recently reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening multilateral power trade.<\/p>\n

By reallocating power from crypto mining to regional grids and industrial users, Laos aims to consolidate its role in Asia\u2019s clean energy transition and stabilise revenue from energy exports.<\/p>\n

Legal and investment challenges<\/h2>\n

Even as it pivots to new opportunities, Laos faces a legal dispute with a Chinese energy company. <\/p>\n

A unit of the state-owned Power Construction Corp of China has filed a $555 million arbitration claim against Laos\u2019 state utility, Electricite du Laos (EDL), over unpaid dues linked to a $2.73 billion hydropower project.<\/p>\n

Soukaloun confirmed that arbitration proceedings are underway, noting that the dispute stems from a mismatch between projected and actual power demand. <\/p>\n

Despite these headwinds, Laos remains an attractive market for renewable energy investors. <\/p>\n

The government is reportedly in discussions with Chinese firms to expand solar and wind capacity, further strengthening its reputation as a clean energy hub in the region.<\/p>\n

The post Laos to end electricity supply to crypto miners by 2026 to power industrial growth<\/a> appeared first on Invezz<\/a><\/p>\n

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Laos is preparing to disconnect cryptocurrency miners from its national grid by the first quarter of 2026, as per a Reuters report. The government says the move will help redirect valuable electricity to sectors that contribute more directly to long-term economic growth, such as artificial intelligence data centres, metals refining, and electric vehicle manufacturing. The <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44411,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-44410","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-investing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}