2018-6-22 19:06 |
A Chinese man has found himself in police custody after attempting to steal electricity to fund his unprofitable Bitcoin mining operation, local media outlet Xinhua reports June 22.
The suspect, known only by his surname Ma, allegedly mined Bitcoin and Ethereum on two hundred computers in the country’s Anhui province, all of which have been confiscated by the police upon the miner’s arrest.
In total, Ma had stolen 150 megawatt (MW) of electricity, according to Xinhua.
Police were alerted to Ma when the local grid “reported abnormal electricity usage.” “…Police found that the electricity meter for the suspected cryptocurrency mining operation had been short-circuited, which was likely an attempt to dodge the power bill,” Xinhua adds.
Worldwide, Bitcoin mining is expected to consume 0.5% of total electricity output as soon as the end of this year, Cointelegraph reported in May.