China’s Yunnan Province To Inspect Bitcoin Mining Operations As Rumors Of Ban Swirl

China’s Yunnan province will be investigating bitcoin mining operations that are using power supplies illegally.

According to a news report by local outlet China Star Market, the Chinese province of Yunnan’s energy bureau has required its subordinate departments to inspect bitcoin mining companies in the region for illegal activities.

The alert detailed that such inspections seek to “severely investigate and punish the illegal acts of power generation companies who use the generated electricity to supply power to Bitcoin mining companies for illegal benefits without permission.”

China has been home to varyingly restrictive measures around bitcoin mining and trading for years. But these regulatory measures have ramped up recently, following a dire statement by the country’s state council in May.

Still, the hydropower-based province of Yunnan is not banning bitcoin mining –– contrary to what was first reported by Forkast, which later revised its article.

Apparently, the energy bureau is seeking to close down some hydropower stations’ practices of directly supplying hydroelectricity to bitcoin mining farms, allowing miners to avoid sharing their profits with the government. Rather, it seems that regions heavily reliant on fossil fuels are the ones receiving the bans.

Xinjiang, for instance, has ordered miners in its Zhundong Economic and Technology Development Zone to shut down their operations. It remains to be seen if hydropower-intensive regions or operations will be faced with similar restrictions.