Iran’s crypto mining consumes 14% of the country’s electricity deficit, parliamentary report finds

Iranā€™s crypto mining consumes 14% of the countryā€™s electricity deficit, parliamentary report finds

Iran's Majlis Research Center reveals that cryptocurrency mining operations are draining up to 1,200 megawatts from an already strained power grid, costing the country an estimated $1.5B annually.

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by Estefano Gomez

Iran’s parliamentary research arm just put a number on what many suspected: crypto mining is eating a meaningful chunk of the country’s already precarious electricity supply. A report from the Majlis Research Center estimates that mining operations consume between 930 and 1,200 megawatts of electricity, representing roughly 14% of Iran’s power deficit during peak summer months.

Averaged across the full year, crypto mining accounts for about 6% of the national electricity shortfall.

The math behind the megawatts

The Majlis Research Center’s analysis goes beyond raw power consumption to calculate the broader economic toll. Sustaining mining operations at this scale requires approximately 2 billion liters of diesel fuel annually, translating to a financial burden of roughly $1.5B on the national grid.

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Iran’s state utility Tavanir has previously offered even higher estimates, suggesting that 15-20% of the country’s power deficits are linked to crypto mining operations. During major outages, illicit mining operations could be pulling as much as 2,400 MW from the grid.

Subsidized electricity and the IRGC connection

Thanks to heavily subsidized electricity rates, the cost of mining a single Bitcoin in Iran is estimated at around $1,300 per coin, compared to a global average of approximately $87,000.

Previous reports have documented connections between cryptocurrency mining operations and individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Connected addresses reportedly received over $3B in crypto inflows during 2025 alone.

The US Treasury sanctioned Iran’s BitBank in September 2026 for allegedly facilitating large Bitcoin transfers to the IRGC.

Iran’s share of the global Bitcoin hashrate has been a moving target. Estimates range widely, from 4.5% on the conservative end to as high as 10-15% in some analyses. More recent tracking data suggests the figure has declined to around 0.84%.

For Iranian citizens, every megawatt consumed by a mining farm, legal or not, is a megawatt unavailable for air conditioning during 50-degree Celsius summers, for hospitals, for factories. The Majlis Research Center report frames this as a resource allocation problem where the costs are borne disproportionately by ordinary people while the benefits flow to well-connected operators.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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Iranā€™s crypto mining consumes 14% of the countryā€™s electricity deficit, parliamentary report finds
Iran’s crypto mining consumes 14% of the country’s electricity deficit, parliamentary report finds

Iran's Majlis Research Center reveals that cryptocurrency mining operations are draining up to 1,200 megawatts from an already strained power grid, costing the country an estimated $1.5B annually.

by Estefano Gomez

Share

Add us on Google

Iran’s parliamentary research arm just put a number on what many suspected: crypto mining is eating a meaningful chunk of the country’s already precarious electricity supply. A report from the Majlis Research Center estimates that mining operations consume between 930 and 1,200 megawatts of electricity, representing roughly 14% of Iran’s power deficit during peak summer months.

Averaged across the full year, crypto mining accounts for about 6% of the national electricity shortfall.

The math behind the megawatts

The Majlis Research Center’s analysis goes beyond raw power consumption to calculate the broader economic toll. Sustaining mining operations at this scale requires approximately 2 billion liters of diesel fuel annually, translating to a financial burden of roughly $1.5B on the national grid.

Advertisement

Iran’s state utility Tavanir has previously offered even higher estimates, suggesting that 15-20% of the country’s power deficits are linked to crypto mining operations. During major outages, illicit mining operations could be pulling as much as 2,400 MW from the grid.

Subsidized electricity and the IRGC connection

Thanks to heavily subsidized electricity rates, the cost of mining a single Bitcoin in Iran is estimated at around $1,300 per coin, compared to a global average of approximately $87,000.

Previous reports have documented connections between cryptocurrency mining operations and individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Connected addresses reportedly received over $3B in crypto inflows during 2025 alone.

The US Treasury sanctioned Iran’s BitBank in September 2026 for allegedly facilitating large Bitcoin transfers to the IRGC.

Iran’s share of the global Bitcoin hashrate has been a moving target. Estimates range widely, from 4.5% on the conservative end to as high as 10-15% in some analyses. More recent tracking data suggests the figure has declined to around 0.84%.

For Iranian citizens, every megawatt consumed by a mining farm, legal or not, is a megawatt unavailable for air conditioning during 50-degree Celsius summers, for hospitals, for factories. The Majlis Research Center report frames this as a resource allocation problem where the costs are borne disproportionately by ordinary people while the benefits flow to well-connected operators.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.