KUWAIT CITY, April 23: The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, Engineer Fatima Jawhar Hayat, announced that 100 homes in the Al-Wafra residential area have been identified as engaging in unauthorized cryptocurrency mining activities.

Hayat explained that as part of the ministry’s efforts to ensure the efficiency and sustainability of the electrical grid, it has recently observed an unusual spike in electricity consumption across various sectors—including residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural—over the past two weeks. In response, the ministry launched a large-scale field inspection in the Al-Wafra area last Sunday. This investigation revealed around 100 homes with extremely high electricity usage, inconsistent with normal residential patterns, suggesting potential involvement in activities such as cryptocurrency mining.

She added that a detailed technical analysis showed no typical fluctuations in electricity consumption between day and night or across seasons. Instead, usage remained consistently and abnormally high throughout the day, indicating continuous operation of high-power equipment. Some homes recorded electricity consumption exceeding 100,000 kilowatt-hours in March 2025, which is approximately 20 times higher than neighboring residences. Such levels, she noted, cannot be attributed to standard household use.

The ministry emphasized that it will continue monitoring and analyzing consumption data in other areas across the country. It also acknowledged the support of the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority in tracking suspicious Internet Protocol (IP) addresses linked to cryptocurrency mining, and praised the cooperation of the Ministry of Interior in these efforts.

The ministry urged citizens and residents to use electricity responsibly and cooperate with its teams. It also warned that legal action will be taken against any individual or entity found to be excessively consuming electricity for unlicensed activities that threaten the stability of the national power grid.