--- title: "Bitcoin Miners Open Secret Power Plant, Get Busted" description: "A Bitcoin mining operation in Canada tried to tap a nearby unused natural gas well for power — and got busted after neighbors started complaining of noise." date: "2021-10-07" modified: "2021-10-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/bitcoin-miners-open-secret-power-plant-get-busted" categories: - "Bitcoin" - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "bitcoin" - "canada" - "cryptocurrencies" - "cryptocurrency mining" --- # Bitcoin Miners Open Secret Power Plant, Get Busted ![A Bitcoin mining operation in Canada tried to tap a nearby unused natural gas well for power — and got busted after neighbors started complaining of noise.]() *\Image: Futurism\* A Bitcoin mining operation in the Canadian province of Alberta tried to tap a nearby unused natural gas well for power — and got busted after neighbors started complaining about the noise it was producing, [*CBC News* reported]() in August. But in an [email to *Gizmodo*](), the CEO of the company called Link Global is now trying to downplay the incident. "We run on abandoned gas sites and have been working with the utilities commission to bring them into compliance," he wrote. Compliance was their "main challenge as bitcoin mining is new to the energy regulatory framework and going first can be hard sometimes." There's been consistent tension between crypto miners and local energy infrastructure. In July, for instance, Malaysian police seized [1,069 bitcoin mining rigs]() before crushing them all with a steamroller after news emerged that miners had been stealing electricity from a local utility company. According to the *CBC*, Link Global never actually notified anybody that it was using the natural gas well — which amounts to theft, in *Gizmodo*'s reading. Late last month, the [*CBC* reported]() that Alberta's provincial utilities commission is proposing a $5.6 million fine for Link Global. The Vancouver-based mining company had set up four 1.25 megawatt gas generators in 2020 — enough to power 6,000 homes — not far from Edmonton, Alberta. The generators were being powered by the natural gas well, which is owned by Maga Energy, a private oil and gas production company. Neighbors had initially complained of noise being produced by the generators, which alerted the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC). "It differs every time the wind changes direction," local resident Jeff Kocuipchyk told the *CBC* in August. "It's just like a wave... but it's 10 times louder and 100 times more annoying." While Link Global claims no wrongdoing, the AUC isn't impressed by its excuses. "Link Global's willful disregard for the existence of regulatory requirements prior to commencing operations and its persistent operation in contravention... heightens the seriousness of the contraventions," the regulator's enforcement team wrote in a statement filed last month, as quoted by the *CBC*. "Such conduct undermines the integrity and efficacy of the regulatory framework," the filing reads. Even more worryingly, Link Global never reported any crypto mining revenue during the first six months of this year, according to the enforcement team. The company's legal team called it a "very serious allegation," according to the *CBC*. A hearing in November will now decide if Link Global did indeed steal natural gas from Maga Energy — and the company will likely be facing an uphill battle to avoid getting fined. **READ MORE:** [A Bitcoin Mining Operation Started a Secret Power Plant, It Did Not Go as Planned]() \[*Gizmodo*\] **More on illegal mining:** *[Watch Police Crush 1,069 Bitcoin Mining Rigs With a Steamroller]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()