Lukashenko tasked Belarus’ Energy Minister to focus on updating power grids and crypto mining development
President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has made personnel decisions today, and the appointment of members of the new Government, as on March 3rd, was organised in the format of a bloc-based meeting
Aleksandr Lukashenko has set specific tasks for the deputy prime ministers, the ministers and the heads of departments they oversee.
Updating power grids
Addressing newly appointed Energy Minister Aleksei Kushnarenko, the Head of State stressed the need to continue preparations for the construction of a republican radioactive waste disposal facility, “We have talked about this more than once, so I will not focus on the details. The most important task is to update the power grid infrastructure, taking into account the increasing demand of the population and the real sector of the economy for electricity. 5,700km of power grids are in focus, and this is a very important direction – linked to people and electric vehicles. This is our daily life now.”
According to the President, the high-voltage networks are more or less in good condition in the country, but other networks need to receive greater attention – ‘so that the situation – which happened in the Gomel Region after a hurricane – would not repeat here’, “Therefore, we need these 5,700km of power grids [to operate well], and fifteen hundred settlements should have the normal electricity supply.”
Use of electricity for heating
Another promising topic that Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to was the use of electric energy for heating and hot water supply.
“People have a high demand for electricity in their homes. It's a miracle for people. Why shouldn’t we help people in this matter if we build a second [nuclear power] station? Future generations will be grateful to us for that. So far, we are thinking in this regard. We understand that we need to plan and respond to people's requests. We should do this, it is our future,” the Head of State noted.
Crypto mining development
The Belarusian leader instructed the minister to study the development of crypto mining in the country, “An increasing number of people are contacting me. If it is profitable for us, then let’s work in this direction. We have an excess of electricity. Let them mine this cryptocurrency, and so on. Moreover, you can see the way the world is developing – and especially its largest economy. It announced yesterday that it will keep [cryptocurrency] as a reserve.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that there will be demand for cryptocurrencies, and asked a reasonable question: what about mining them domestically. “Well, we attract some investors, sell them electricity – and I do not rule it out. But we can do this ourselves. There are offers of the kind. I think you will step this bureaucracy over and tell me what needs to be done,” the President addressed those present.
