A court in the Canadian province of British Columbia upheld an 18-month moratorium imposed by local energy companies on cryptocurrency mining companies.

Judge Michael Tammen assured that the injunction prohibits mining and does not violate the law. Energy workers from the BC Hydro corporation have introduced a ban on the supply of electricity for cryptocurrency mining due to too much energy consumption by miners. The number of megawatts needed to mine cryptocurrencies in 2023 would exceed the amount of electricity that BC Hydro could provide. The company's actions will prevent excessive load on the energy system, the judge assured.

In December 2022, BC Hydro introduced a moratorium on new miners joining the network. As a result, British Columbia became the third Canadian province to introduce such restrictions. The ban was challenged by the logging company Conifex Timber, which began mining cryptocurrencies in partnership with the Tsai Keh Dene Indian community.

Conifex Timber management expressed disappointment with the court's decision, saying the province was missing out on many opportunities due to the mining ban. By allowing mining, local governments could stimulate technological innovation and promote economic growth in British Columbia.

In 2023, officials in the US state of North Carolina also proposed banning mining for a year. And New York authorities have already introduced a two-year ban on mining cryptocurrencies that use the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm.