British Columbia isn’t just stopping crypto mining-it’s drawing a line in the sand over who gets to use the province’s clean electricity. Since December 2022, the province has paused new electricity connections for cryptocurrency mining operations. That pause was extended in Spring 2024, and now it runs through December 2025. No new miners can hook up to BC Hydro’s grid. Not one. And there’s no sign it’s going to change anytime soon.

Why BC Stopped Crypto Mining Cold

It all comes down to power. British Columbia generates over 90% of its electricity from hydroelectric dams. That’s clean, renewable, and limited. When crypto mining companies started showing up with requests for massive amounts of power-1,403 megawatts total, enough to run 570,000 homes-the government had to ask: who’s this really helping?

The answer? Not many people. Crypto mining uses electricity 24/7 to run and cool racks of computers. It creates almost no local jobs. Meanwhile, families are switching to electric heat pumps. Businesses are electrifying their fleets. The province’s CleanBC plan is pushing for a cleaner economy, and every megawatt diverted to mining is one less available for those goals.

Minister Josie Osborne put it bluntly: mining consumes massive amounts of electricity to run and cool banks of high-powered computers 24/7/365, while creating very few jobs in the local economy. That’s not a trade-off the province is willing to make.

The Legal Fight and Who Lost

One company, Conifex Timber, tried to challenge the ban. They were running Bitcoin mining operations for Greenidge Generation, and they wanted access to 2.5 million megawatt-hours of electricity annually-nearly half the output of the new Site C dam. They argued the government couldn’t block them. They took it to court.

The B.C. Supreme Court said no. Then the Court of Appeal said no again. The courts ruled the province has every right to protect its public utility. BC Hydro isn’t a private company. It’s a Crown corporation, and its job is to serve the public interest. That means prioritizing homes, hospitals, schools, and industries that reduce emissions over crypto farms that don’t.

The ruling didn’t just uphold the ban-it confirmed that the government can legally control who gets electricity, even if federal law doesn’t regulate crypto mining. British Columbia’s power grid is its own domain.

What’s Actually Blocked

The restriction doesn’t ban mining outright. It blocks new electricity connections. If you already had a connection before December 2022, you’re still allowed to run your operation. But you can’t expand. You can’t add more machines. You can’t increase your draw. And if you lose power for any reason-maintenance, outage, upgrade-you can’t reconnect.

Twenty-one mining projects were affected. Together, they wanted more power than the entire city of Victoria uses. That’s not small. That’s a massive slice of the province’s clean energy pie.

And it’s not just about numbers. It’s about direction. British Columbia is betting its future on electrifying transportation, heating, and industry. Every kilowatt saved from mining is one that can power an electric bus, a heat pump in a senior’s home, or a factory switching from diesel to electricity.

How This Compares to Other Provinces

British Columbia isn’t alone in cracking down. Manitoba froze new mining connections in 2022. Hydro-Québec raised rates and capped how much power miners can buy. New Brunswick put a moratorium on large-scale requests. Even Ontario considered cutting miners out of electricity cost-reduction programs.

But BC’s rules are the strictest. Other provinces still let miners apply for permits. BC doesn’t even take applications anymore. The suspension is total.

The only exception? Alberta. With its deregulated energy market and pro-mining stance, Alberta has become Canada’s crypto mining hub. Miners are moving there because they can get cheap power, no red tape, and no government interference. If you’re serious about mining in Canada today, you’re likely heading east-not west.

What Happens After December 2025

The current ban ends in December 2025. But don’t expect it to lift. The government has spent over two years talking to over 400 groups-First Nations, municipalities, utilities, mining companies, environmental orgs-to figure out what a permanent policy should look like.

They’ve already passed laws to make this permanent. The Energy Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 24) gives the province direct control over electricity service to miners, bypassing the usual utility commission. That’s not a temporary fix. That’s a legal foundation for a long-term ban.

Right now, the government is weighing options: Should mining be allowed at all? If so, only if it uses waste heat? Only if it runs on non-hydro power? Only if it creates local jobs? No final decision has been made, but the tone is clear: mining won’t get a free pass.

Why Vancouver’s ‘Bitcoin-Friendly’ Motion Doesn’t Matter

In 2023, Vancouver City Council passed a motion calling the city a ‘bitcoin-friendly city’. Mayor Ken Sim said Bitcoin could boost the local economy. He’s not wrong about the potential. But here’s the catch: cities don’t control electricity. BC Hydro does. The provincial government does.

A city council motion is symbolic. It looks good on paper. But it can’t override provincial law. You can’t turn Vancouver into a mining hub if the power grid won’t let you plug in. The province holds all the cards.

What This Means for Miners and Investors

If you’re thinking about starting a crypto mining operation in British Columbia, don’t. The door is closed. The legal path is blocked. The political will is solid. The courts have spoken. The power isn’t there.

If you’re already mining here, you’re stuck. No upgrades. No growth. If your equipment fails, you’re out of luck. You’ll need to move to Alberta or another province if you want to scale.

Investors should take note: British Columbia is no longer a crypto mining jurisdiction. The risk of stranded assets is real. Any project built here after 2022 is operating on borrowed time.

The Bigger Picture: Energy as a Public Good

This isn’t just about Bitcoin or Ethereum. It’s about what kind of society you want to build. Should clean energy go to speculative tech that creates no lasting value? Or should it go to things that actually improve people’s lives-clean heat, electric transit, green manufacturing?

British Columbia chose the latter. And they’re not backing down. The province is proving that governments can-and should-protect public resources from being drained by industries that offer little in return.

As global Bitcoin prices hit $107,000 in 2025, mining demand is soaring. But in BC, that demand hits a wall. And that wall is made of hydroelectric dams, climate goals, and a clear message: our power is for our people, not for algorithms.