- Tether terminates Uruguay mining operations after failing to negotiate favourable electricity transmission rates.
- Original plans included $500 million investment with three data centers and a renewable energy park.
Tether, a major player in the stablecoin market, has formally ended its crypto mining activities in Uruguay, thus signalling a major withdrawal from what was once Tether’s bright venture. The move comes after a long dispute with the local authorities over the prices for the electricity that the company considered to be uneconomic for its continued operations. The majority of the employees will be laid off as the company will discontinue its operations in the South American region altogether.
Energy Costs Force Strategic Withdrawal
Tether was first attracted to Uruguay as a location where they could carry out environmentally friendly Bitcoin mining operations with a commitment to the infrastructure of the country, starting in 2023. Tether had an ambitious plan of triple data center development and a renewable energy plant of 300 megawatt capacity construction. Their initiatives represented half a billion dollars of investment that would have projected economic benefits for the technological sector and the employment landscape of the country.
Unfortunately, the talks with the Uruguayan regulators did not bring about the anticipated outcomes, as they were mainly about the transmission rate changes that Tether considered necessary for them to be commercially viable.
The firm was looking for a change in its classification from the existing 31.5 kilovolt charges to more economical 150 kilovolt transmission rates, stating that it would lower their operational costs. Tether argued that the adjustment would result in less duplication of infrastructure and that it would be a win-win situation, as the cost savings and improved efficiency would be given to both parties.
Local Labor Ministry officials said that out of the 38 local employees, 30 will be those who are going to be laid off due to the closure of operations. The business has already spent roughly $100 million on the infrastructure of Uruguay and is planning to spend another $50 million on the grid of the national operator UTE. In spite of these big investments, Tether came to the conclusion that it would be less viable from the point of view of the company’s sustainability and profitability in the long run to operate with no energy agreements made.
The exit of a major mining operation like Tether also shows how difficult it is for crypto-related companies to spread their wings and venture into new territories, with issues related to energy supply and regulations being most notable. Without Tether, Uruguay loses the chance of an expanded local economy through the mining of cryptocurrencies, which could have included creating more jobs, building infrastructure, and the growth of the tech sector that initially generated the interest.
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