As Lebanon plunges into darkness, certain privileged individuals in specific geographical locations benefit from electricity for extended hours to run Bitcoin mining machines, which consume vast amounts of power. The tweet from the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, drew attention to the fact that "the villages of Upper Shouf that enjoy electricity are witnessing individuals consuming enormous amounts of energy at the expense of ordinary citizens," explaining that "these individuals are creating Bitcoin and do not care about the public interest."
According to reports, there is an area in Upper Shouf called Marsti that has been cut off from electricity and water, and it is not the only one suffering from this issue, as other villages also benefit from the electricity of Jezzine. This situation harms Marsti, an agricultural village that cannot pump water into its tanks; it has been without electricity for 10 days, and most residents work in agriculture.
In this context, the official for Upper Shouf in the Socialist Party, Salam Abdul Samad, explained that "there are some people who have tapped into the electricity line, while others are pulling considerable amounts to operate Bitcoin mining machines." Abdul Samad clarified to MTV that "a wealthy individual in the area has subscribed to a 100-amp line and has about 1,500 to 2,000 Bitcoin mining machines in his home," emphasizing that "the energy used by this household is sufficient to light up the entire village of Marsti and pump water." He noted that "this person has the necessary resources to install solar energy and benefit from it to operate Bitcoin mining machines."
Regarding the villages in the area, Abdul Samad pointed out that "there are about 3,000 Bitcoin machines, with the consumption on the line being very high!" He asked, "Where is the logic in individuals pulling massive amounts of electricity while other villages have no electricity?"
