Ethiopia Cuts Bitcoin Miners to 23% of Contracted Power

By Isaac • September 16, 2026 7:25 am •

Ethiopia’s Bitcoin mining boom has run into the physical limit that matters most: available electricity.

Ethiopian Electric Power has reduced deliveries to data-mining companies to roughly 23% of their contracted supply as lower water inflows strain the country’s hydroelectric system. The decision puts households and manufacturers ahead of mining operations during a difficult dry period.

Cointelegraph said the state-owned utility first reduced mining deliveries to 75% of contracted levels, then 50%, before cutting them to 23%, while reservoir inflows ran about 20% below normal. The report also said miners consume close to one-third of Ethiopia’s electricity production, supplied about 35% of the utility’s revenue in the last fiscal year, and now sit behind households and manufacturers