BBC shows how mega bitcoin mining operation works in Kazakhstan | Bitcoin Portal

The BBC revealed that in order to keep more than 50,000 machines running 24 hours a day, a Kazakhstan bitcoin mining farm needs operators working 12 hours a day for 15 days straight. The report, in video, was published by the British network on Sunday (30).

“As we enter the facility, the sound of machines working makes me excited. It’s the sound of money, of digital money,” said one of the Enegix employees.

The mega operation occupies a space of 15 hectares, located in a deserted area near the city of Ekibastuz, which is in the province of Pavlodar, neighboring China.

Yersain Nurtoleuov, head of the hosting department, told the BBC that the bitcoin mining center has a staff of more than 150 people – made up mostly of young people who saw an opportunity in the sector.

“I have been working here for over three years. I was the first operator. I learned everything myself. How to connect power supplies, how to configure a router,” Nurtoleuov said.

Almaz Magaz, for example, said that before working at the mining center he had never heard of bitcoin. He is one of the employees who work from 8 am to 6 pm to ensure the smooth running of the machines.

On site, according to the company’s website, there is technical assistance for the machines and a dormitory for employees, who after working 15 days uninterruptedly, take another 15 days off in a row.

Mining in Kazakhstan

Last year, Kazakhstan became the second largest cryptocurrency mining country in the world, according to the BBC. Such a position is due in part to an Enegix hub. However, the rapid growth of cryptocurrency mining in the country has put pressure on the energy sector, which relies heavily on polluting, carbon-intensive coal-fired power plants.

In 2021, the Central Asian country became the second most bitcoin mining nation in the world after its neighbor China suspended mining activities.

Thanks to its natural gas and coal deposits, Kazakhstan has one of the lowest electricity prices in the world, helping miners profit.

However, in the last week of January, state-owned Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) confirmed to Bloomberg that electricity has been suspended for bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining companies.

“For five days, cryptocurrency residents of Kazakhstan could not connect to the Internet, causing cryptocurrency transactions worldwide to slow down,” the report concluded.