Crypto Mining Moratorium in New Brunswick: What It Means for Miners and the Grid

When New Brunswick put a stop to new cryptocurrency mining operations in 2023, it didn’t just make headlines-it sent shockwaves through the entire North American crypto mining industry. This wasn’t a temporary pause. It wasn’t a fine or a tax. It was a full, indefinite block on electricity connections for any new or expanding crypto mine. And it’s still in effect as of January 2026.

Why New Brunswick Said No to Crypto Mining

The province’s decision wasn’t made overnight. It started in March 2022, when the provincial cabinet ordered NB Power, the Crown-owned utility, to stop approving new electricity requests from crypto mining companies. By November 2023, that pause became a permanent ban. The reason? Simple: the grid couldn’t handle it.

Crypto mining, especially Bitcoin mining, eats electricity. A single large mining facility can pull as much power as a small town. In 2022, Manitoba Hydro estimated that just the mining projects that had already applied for service would add 4,600 megawatts of demand-nearly 75% of the province’s entire generating capacity. New Brunswick, with its aging infrastructure and growing population, didn’t want to risk the same fate.

The province’s priority wasn’t to punish crypto. It was to protect residents. If mining companies kept connecting to the grid, electricity rates would rise for everyone. Schools, hospitals, and homes would pay more just to keep the lights on. And with climate goals pushing for more electric cars and heating systems, the last thing New Brunswick needed was to lock up its clean hydro power for digital mining rigs.

What the Moratorium Actually Blocks

The ban isn’t vague. It’s specific and absolute. NB Power is legally required to refuse any new connection request from a crypto mining operation. That includes:

• Any brand-new Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other Proof-of-Work mine trying to set up shop
• Existing mines trying to expand their power usage
• Companies trying to repurpose old industrial buildings into mining farms

Even if a company has land, equipment, and funding ready to go, they can’t turn on a single rig unless they can get power from somewhere else. There’s no loophole. No grandfathering. No temporary permits.

This isn’t about banning crypto. It’s about banning energy-intensive crypto mining. New Brunswick still allows other uses of electricity-data centers, manufacturing, EV charging stations. But crypto mining, because of its massive, constant, and inflexible power draw, is singled out.

How This Compares to Other Canadian Provinces

New Brunswick isn’t alone, but it’s the strictest. Here’s how it stacks up:

Comparison of Canadian Provincial Crypto Mining Policies

Province	Policy	Duration	Key Details
New Brunswick	Complete moratorium	Indefinite	No new or expanded connections allowed. NB Power enforces outright refusal.
Manitoba	Moratorium	Until April 30, 2026	Extension granted after initial 18-month pause. Review expected after 2026.
British Columbia	Power caps and legal limits	Ongoing	BC Hydro legally capped mining access after court battle. Max 1.5 million MWh/year.
Hydro-Québec	Rate hikes and allocation caps	Ongoing	Miners now pay 20-30% more. No new contracts since 2022.
Alberta	Open for business	Active	Low-cost natural gas, deregulated market. Mining operations growing rapidly.

New Brunswick’s approach is the only one that’s truly a hard stop. Manitoba’s ban has an end date. BC Hydro fights in court to limit usage. Quebec makes it expensive. But New Brunswick says: no connection, no exception.

Who Got Hit the Hardest?

Before the ban, New Brunswick was quietly becoming a hotspot for crypto mining. Its cheap hydro power, low population density, and proximity to U.S. markets made it attractive. Several mining firms had signed leases for warehouse space near Miramichi and Edmundston, planning to install thousands of ASIC miners.

One company, based in Toronto, had already shipped in 12,000 mining rigs and was waiting for the power hook-up. When the moratorium hit, they lost over $18 million in equipment and logistics costs. They moved everything to Alberta-where natural gas is cheap and the government doesn’t care how much power you use.

The ban didn’t just hurt big operators. It also killed smaller, local projects. A group of tech students in Fredericton had raised $200,000 to build a community-powered mining co-op using solar and hydro. They got shut down before they even turned on the first rig.

What’s Happening Now? The Ripple Effects

The moratorium didn’t just stop mining in New Brunswick-it reshaped the entire North American mining map.

- Alberta’s mining sector exploded. In 2023, Alberta added over 800 megawatts of crypto mining capacity. By 2025, it surpassed Quebec as Canada’s top mining province.

- U.S. states like Texas and Georgia saw an influx. Miners who couldn’t get power in Canada moved south, drawn by deregulated grids and cheap natural gas.

- Hardware resellers in Canada started seeing a surge in used ASIC miners. Equipment once destined for New Brunswick flooded the resale market at 40% off.

- Energy analysts now use New Brunswick as a case study. Universities and think tanks cite it when arguing for similar bans in other regions.

The message is clear: if your province controls the grid, it controls the future of crypto mining.

Will This Ever Change?

There’s no official review date. No public statement from the government saying when-or if-they’ll reopen the door. NB Power has not signaled any change. The province’s energy plan for 2025-2030 doesn’t mention crypto mining at all.

That’s telling. If they planned to lift the ban, they’d have built in a review clause. They didn’t. That suggests this isn’t a temporary measure-it’s a policy shift.

The real question isn’t whether New Brunswick will change its mind. It’s whether crypto mining will change enough to deserve a second chance.

New mining tech is coming. Some companies claim they’ve built rigs that use 30% less power. Others are experimenting with waste heat recovery or using stranded gas that would otherwise flare. But none of that matters if the grid is still closed.

Until mining becomes less of a power hog, New Brunswick isn’t interested.

What This Means for Miners Outside New Brunswick

If you’re thinking about starting a mining operation anywhere in Canada, New Brunswick’s ban is a warning sign.

Don’t assume cheap power means you can plug in. Provinces are watching. They’re talking to each other. They’re seeing what happens when a few mining companies suck up the grid’s capacity-and they’re choosing residents over miners.

Your best bet? Look at places with:

• Deregulated energy markets (like Alberta or Texas)
• Access to surplus renewable energy (solar farms in Arizona, wind in Iowa)
• Government support for tech innovation

And avoid provinces that already have moratoriums-even if they’re temporary. Because once they’re in place, they rarely come out.

Is This the Future for Crypto Mining?

New Brunswick didn’t invent this strategy. China did, back in 2021, when it shut down 75% of the world’s Bitcoin mining. But New Brunswick proved you don’t need a dictatorship to stop mining. You just need a utility company and a government that puts people first.

More than eight countries have banned crypto mining outright. Dozens more are tightening rules. The global trend is clear: energy-intensive mining is becoming socially and politically unacceptable.

The future of mining isn’t in places with the cheapest power. It’s in places with the most flexible, sustainable, and publicly supported energy systems. And right now, New Brunswick’s model is the blueprint for what comes next.