In 2025, the number of mining farms in Russia increased by 44% and reached 196.9 thousand facilities, despite bans on cryptocurrency mining in a number of regions and tightening tariff regulation.
This data comes from the MTS EnergyTool energy consumption monitoring system, which analyzes the indicators of automated commercial electricity metering systems. For comparison, at the end of 2024, there were 136.6 thousand farms in the country, and the annual growth then amounted to only 7%.
The EnergyTool platform processes AMI data in real time and uses artificial intelligence algorithms to detect abnormal loads. The technology allows you to record unauthorized connections, meter hacks and large-scale unaccounted consumption, characteristic of crypto mining.
The largest number of mining farms in 2025 was recorded in the Irkutsk and Novosibirsk regions, as well as in the Republic of Bashkortostan. The minimum indicators were recorded in the Volgograd, Ivanovo and Sverdlovsk regions, the Chuvash Republic, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Altai Territory and the Chernozem regions.
Sergey Bezdelov, Director of the Industrial Mining Association, attributes the growth to the institutionalization of the industry. According to him, after the inclusion of mining in the state regulation system in August 2024, investors finally began to consider it as a legal investment tool. He noted that the work of the Federal Tax Service led to the whitewashing of the sector and its introduction into the legal field.
Industry representatives also confirm the growth. Anton Gontarev, Commercial Director of Intelion Data Systems, pointed out that after the adoption and clarification of the regulatory framework, the market became more transparent and understandable for large players. According to him, companies with an industrial approach and investment funds are increasingly entering mining, which consider such projects as infrastructure assets with a long-term horizon. He stressed that even with the volatility of the crypto market, mining retains the status of a basic infrastructure for digital assets, and the focus is shifting from individual installations to scalable industrial sites with a predictable economy and transparent management.
At the same time, the growth in the number of farms is partly due to the expansion of the illegal segment. A representative of En+ reported that during 2025, the Irkutskenergosbyt company, together with law enforcement agencies of the Irkutsk region, repeatedly identified illegally operating mining farms. According to him, such facilities are disguised as household consumers and use preferential tariffs, which damages the energy infrastructure and increases the risk of accidents. He noted that this practice leads to a shortage of resources needed for the development of the region.
How the Conditions for Miners Changed in 2025
From 2025 to 2031, the authorities banned cryptocurrency mining in ten regions of Russia due to uncontrolled electricity consumption. At the same time, the government tightened tariff policy to limit household and gray mining. From January 1, 2025, the upper limit of the first price range was set at 3.9 thousand kWh, the second - 6 thousand kWh in all regions. Previously, the average values were about 10.2 thousand and 16 thousand kWh, respectively.
Against this background, the geography of the most attractive regions for cryptocurrency mining has also changed. If in 2024 the Irkutsk region was the leader in the cost of electricity for miners, then in 2025 the first place was taken by the Republic of Khakassia. There, the annual cost of electricity for a miner is estimated at approximately 56 thousand rubles. Next come the Tyumen region and the Murmansk region with indicators of about 72 thousand and 75 thousand rubles per year, respectively.
Experts also note structural changes in the market. Enthusiasts are gradually being replaced by corporate players who are ready for significantly larger investments. Market participants began to actively switch to alternative energy sources, primarily gas, due to rising electricity tariffs. In the near future, the number of technological sites for gas generation will increase.
At the end of October, the Yakutsk Fuel and Energy Company announced the suspension of the Yakutsk LNG project and its intention to focus on using natural gas to create data processing centers, mining and cloud computing.
An additional factor in supporting the industry was the decrease in the complexity of bitcoin mining (a decrease in the amount of calculations required to mine cryptocurrency, which increases the efficiency of equipment and partially compensates for the increase in operating expenses), which has been recorded for the third time in a row since the end of October. A similar dynamic was observed in 2024 after the "halving", when the reward for mining a new block was halved.
Anton Gontarev believes that from an economic point of view, 2025 became a test of sustainability for miners. He noted that the high complexity of the network and the volatility of the BTC exchange rate increased pressure on margins, which is why the market got rid of inefficient and random players faster. According to him, industrial operators with a predictable cost of energy, modern infrastructure and a legally transparent business model were the winners.