World War II threatens the Bitcoin mining infrastructure

The geopolitical situation has deteriorated globally over the past few years. With Europe re-contracting, there is a clear and current risk for Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto mining infrastructure in Europe and Eurasia, which is World War III.

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It is estimated that Germany is the only one mining 5% of Bitcoin’s hashrate. Norway has a 2% bitcoin hash rate. Meanwhile, 11% of the Bitcoin hashrate is in Russia. These hashrates can be in danger if a full-scale war breaks out. Local Bitcoin and crypto infrastructure can withstand target or incidental damage. In any case, the wider war in Europe could directly or indirectly reduce mining production in the region, whether due to high energy costs, energy rationing, etc.

These operations use hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal energy, and are often integrated with local grids and heating systems, making them a critical infrastructure for the boundary line.

Norwegian Bitcoin Miner

To turn to Norway, we can see how the town relies on Bitcoin miners. After the local Bitcoin miners were closed, each home in one Norwegian town increased by $300 a year.

The miners paid 20% of the local grid fee. When miners left, the town’s electricity bills surged. This example highlights the increasing role that Bitcoin and cryptominers play as key infrastructure and potential targets. In such a scenario, the enemy could be seen knocking miners offline offline in a war scenario.

European Bitcoin and Crypto Miners

Bitcoin and mining infrastructure can be affected across the continent. Bitcoin mines in Europe are concentrated in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria and Iceland.

Norway is Europe’s largest mining hub, accounting for around 3% of Bitcoin’s global hashrate. Several mining companies operate domestically. Kryptovault has numerous facilities in northern Norway. Northern Data is headquartered in Germany but operates several mines in Norway, including the Lufdal Mining Data Center.

Sweden, which increased military spending by 40% amid tensions with Russia, hosts many mining sites, including the facilities run by North Data, especially the Boden Site. The Canadian company Hive Blockchain also operates a site in Sweden.

Finland has the Terrahasz Genesis Project, which supplies heat to a town with 12,000 residents, to its district heating network, supplying potentially important infrastructure. Heat from high-temperature miners provides hot water in the summer and heats the home in the winter.

Terahash has partnered with German industrial parks to combine solar power, battery storage and miners for grid stability and heat supply. Frankfurt-based Northern Data also runs the site in Germany. Terahash Energy has also launched a pilot project to test concepts in Germany and Finland. Of course, Germany is carrying out a re-contract that grabs a parliament-approved headline.

Austrian power grid and 21 energy pilot experiments use bitcoin mining to support the country’s grid using excess renewable energy. Genesis Mining opened its first mine in Iceland in 2013. This is a company mine elsewhere, including Latvia and Lithuania, home to small businesses. Miners also live in Ireland and Greece.

Russian Bitcoin and Crypto Miners

Russia also has major Bitcoin mines. Bitriver operates at Bratsk, Siberia, one of the largest data centers in the former Soviet Union. Bitriver was approved by the US Foreign Asset Management (OFAC) in 2022 to help avoid sanctions. Bitriver partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in October 2024 to expand its BITCOIN MINING and AI computing facilities to BRICS countries.

OFAC has designated 10 Russian-based subsidiaries as subsidiaries of Bitriver AG to operate in the technology sector of the Russian economy. Bitriver eventually shifted its legal ownership to a Swiss-based holding company.

Gazpromnev, an oil subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned gas giant Gazprom, runs Siberian operations at an oil drilling site in the Kanti Mansişsk region of northwest Siberia. This operation uses the associated natural gas to generate electricity for mining.

According to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Gazpromnev partnered with Bit River to build mining operations in the oil fields. The Russian Mining Company (RMC) is located in Karelia, northern Russia. It is designed for Bitcoin mining farms from the reused Rusal Metal Factory, which was closed due to 2018 US sanctions.

Bitcoin and crypto must adapt to the threat of European war

The broader war in Europe threatens Bitcoin and crypto mining infrastructure. If wartime conditions become widespread and European mining becomes outrageous, businesses can turn their eyes to the United States. The US could be involved in European wars and other wars, including 11.5% and 4% of the Bitcoin hashrate against China and Iran. The US West Coast was attacked during World War II, the last global conflict, and was able to maintain its attack in the World War II conflict.

If mining conditions become friendly in the US, much of Bitcoin and crypto mining could move to Latin America and parts of Asia. Countries like El Salvador and Bhutan were already at the forefront of national actors mining Bitcoin, and could see the influx of miners from the west if a global conflict broke out.

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