BC blocks new crypto mining from public grid to back AI, data centers

British Columbia’s provincial government on Monday moved to permanently bar new cryptocurrency mining projects from connecting to the public power grid and to limit electricity available to artificial intelligence and data centers, saying the measures are needed to protect the province’s limited clean power for industries that produce jobs and revenue. The energy ministry unveiled legislative and regulatory changes that will take effect later this year and roll into a competitive allocation process beginning in early 2026, officials said.

The government said the permanent ban would extend a moratorium first imposed in 2022 and later renewed in 2024. Existing crypto operations connected to BC Hydro, the government-owned utility, may continue under current agreements, the ministry added. Officials argued that large-scale crypto mining consumes substantial electricity while delivering limited local employment and tax benefits; the ministry estimated pending crypto projects would have required more than 11,700 gigawatt hours of power annually.

Under the plan, BC Hydro will launch a competitive call for projects in early 2026 to allocate 400 megawatts of industrial power over a...