Energo Pro Georgia has cautioned that energy use in the mountainous northern region of Svaneti remained unsustainable due to inhabitants' use of crypto mining devices to take advantage of free electricity.
Despite the local populace agreeing on New Year's Eve to stop crypto mining, the business, which serves over 1.2 million customers across Georgia, reported that the region’s Mestia Municipality used 27 megawatts of energy instead of the authorised 7.
The latter occurred on December 30, when citizens of the province - which benefits from a free electricity plan to boost tourism and other development in the difficult-to-access region - made a collective vow not to turn on their crypto mining devices during the current season.
In recent years, power outages have been common in the municipality throughout the winter, as the network has grown overburdened by the excessive use of crypto mining devices, which are run by locals to take advantage of the province's free electricity.
The most recent outage occurred on December 28, when company personnel had to employ a helicopter to access high-power lines serving the hilly area to repair damage and restore power delivery following another power outage.
Mikheil Botsvadze, the chair of Energo Pro Georgia's board of directors, described the situation as one that "cannot continue," adding that "no network" could handle the demands made on it by Mestia people utilising crypto mining hardware.
Due to the circumstances, the company published a statement saying it was distancing "any responsibility" from itself and blamed "harmful" locals of "harming (interests of) honest clients."
The update from Energo Pro Georgia also said the company had a "specific plan and experience" necessary to ensure "no illegal mining" in Mestia municipality for the next winter season.
