Venezuelan authorities seized more than 6,000 Bitcoin mining machines again, bringing the total number of seized mining machines to more than 17,000

Venezuelan authorities, led by the Ministry of Electricity and state-owned power company Corpoelec, have seized more than 6,000 Bitcoin mining machines in two new operations, bringing the total to more than 17,000. The moves are part of a plan announced by the Ministry of Electricity to cut off all Bitcoin mining operations to reduce the energy load of these miners on the power system. The country is facing an energy crisis that has led to continued power outages in several states. Authorities have not yet clarified whether the ban will continue after the power crisis subsides or whether it will become a final ban. (Bitcoin.com) Previously, Venezuela's Ministry of Electricity disclosed an operation to monitor the activities of high-power customers (including Bitcoin miners) connected to the national power grid. The ministry said on social media that the plan aims to "disconnect the power system of all cryptocurrency mining farms in the country to avoid these activities from having a serious impact on demand." Carabobo State Governor Rafael Lacava led a series of actions that ultimately seized more than 11,000 ASIC miners and cut off power connections to an unknown number of cryptocurrency mining farms. Carabobo State is home to most of the country's industrial parks. The actions focus on reducing the energy used for these activities. The country faces ongoing power outages due to insufficient power generation due to several climate and sanctions-related challenges. Lacava said miners cannot continue to operate when the general public faces ongoing energy outages.