Georgia cracks down on illegal crypto mining with new electricity meters

The Georgian government is installing electricity meters in all villages in the northwestern Mestia region as part of a crackdown on illegal cryptocurrency mining, Crypto Briefing reported. The initiative is being supported by law enforcement agencies. In 2025, Mestia's electricity consumption reached 133 million kWh, more than 13 times higher than that of other similarly sized municipalities. The government estimates that illegal mining costs the national power grid between $7.5 million and $9.4 million annually.