Exploring Kyrgyzstan

Hey everyone, I want to share my mining journey in Kyrgyzstan from a couple of months back. So here’s the deal: Crypto and mining are totally legit and even encouraged here. You can set up cheap hydro power plants, and the government is actually buying the energy from them. A lot of folks are getting into mining. If you’ve got the funds, check this place out. I landed in Bishkek airport in August. It was super hot, and those taxi drivers were trying to charge crazy prices, but thankfully I had someone picking me up. Later that day, I explored the city a bit. In the evening, we hit up a restaurant for a casual dinner. I was eager to dive into work, but my local buddies told me that socializing over food is just as important as grinding at the computer. That made sense, so we ended up drinking a lot at the karaoke bar. Next morning, I found myself in a car heading to the mining farm located in the western part of the country. The views were amazing. Horses: https://youtube.com/shorts/wMgZWikwi5M Mountains: https://youtube.com/shorts/o51Ujckm2O4 We stopped at a hotel for the night. I shot a few more videos in the morning to capture the stunning scenery. More mountains: https://youtube.com/shorts/Y42Tr39irH4 River: https://youtube.com/shorts/XV-XGZBM3os Breakfast: https://youtube.com/shorts/hBMpeMzZk-U After that, we hit the road again and finally made it to the mining site. https://youtube.com/shorts/LYFWIROoVa4 We spent a few days there...

I love KGZ! However, from my trips and business there, I’ve learned that the electricity supply is unstable. The entire system, dating back to Soviet times, needs an upgrade. Maybe your location is different. I really hope things go well with your mining! thanks for posting here!

It must be nice to be doing that type of build. good fortune to you.

That's a nice read, fascinating. So, what is the average power rate for mining in Kyrgyzstan? I know it surely depends on what size we're talking about, but just your average 1MW farm—is it below 5 cents/kWh? Also, what about security? I don't know about Kyrgyzstan, but in some other places, I know you have to bribe the police or pay someone to protect your farm. Do things work like that in Kyrgyzstan, or is it "really" a safe place for foreign miners? Anyway, it's good to see mining expanding more and more in that region. I hope to see it expand more in Asia, Africa, and other places where mining isn't all that popular. This adds a lot to mining decentralization, which is good for everything Bitcoin.

Yeah, it is really unstable, the farm has been off for a week now, something on the main hydro plant could not withstand the load, so no mining, hehe

Thank you! Yes, it is very interesting to do projects like this, especially because of the unique experience you get from different places..

Thank you! About the average rate... the prices are really negotiable and depend on one's connections within the local establishment, so to speak. Same applies to police protection. I am sure foreigners may experience different things, including extortion, but this project included well connected parties, so we haven't faced any of that. Since the government wants to buy all hydro power available for about 4-5 cents per kWh (I don't remember exactly), I would assume it makes the average price for miners 6 cents per kWh with maintenance. Security is another "must have" expense, that place has armed guards and walls around it with barbed wire on top. In regards to Africa, mining became extremely popular in Ethiopia. They got hydropower and tons of investments from leading manufacturers, including Bitmain. But things have been happening there for several years already, so not sure if there's much more power available. According to Google, Democratic Republic of the Congo has huge potential in hydropower development, but not many investors have the balls of steel to go there.

ah i see, sad... this energy situation is a drag for the whole economy. the least funny part about mining there is voltage spikes in the system that requires expensive SPDs or accepting miners high failure rate

Yes, the voltage level is unstable, I noticed that. We were able to put protection for the network equipment, but not for miners. I also discovered that there's not many companies that offer miner repair, maybe 1 or 2 acceptable places in Bishkek. Even though there's an active warranty for those miners, sending them back to China for repair is a whole new level of bureaucracy that's better to avoid.