Pakistan’s spy agency gets shaken, but not stirred

Out is ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed – who some say engineered the Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan

By FM SHAKIL

OCTOBER 14, 2021

An Afghan national paints over a picture of Pakistan's now former Inter-Services Intelligence Chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed at a protest in New Delhi on September 10, 2021. The general has now been transferred. 

Photo: AFP / Sanjeev Rastogi / The Times of India

PESHAWAR – A routine transfer of a spymaster in Pakistan, believed to have been encouraged by China, has embroiled the powerful army and the prime minister’s office in a controversy on who appoints or transfers the head of the premier spy agency.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was resisting the transfer of Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed and holding on to the transfer notification, told a cabinet meeting Tuesday that he wanted him to stay on at least until the Afghanistan situation stabilizes.

Earlier, Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and Prime Minister Khan had a lengthy meeting on Monday night to try to resolve the gridlock stemming from the transfer of Faiz Hameed. The next day Information Minister Faud Chowdhry, however, further complicated the issue.

Addressing a post-cabinet meeting press conference, Fuad emphatically declared that the power to appoint the ISI director-general rests with the prime minister, who would follow the set procedure before issuing the notification of the transfers.

After days of intense speculation about the change of the country’s premier intelligence chief, a military press release issued last week finally ended the rumors.

Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum was appointed as the new chief of the ISI, replacing Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, who was posted to command the Peshawar-based Corps XI on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Imran Khan was against the transfer.

 Photo: AFP / Muhammad Reza / Anadolu

Was Beijing behind the move?

Some analysts claimed that at the heart of the controversy was Beijing, which may have pushed the army leadership for Hameed’s transfer for purportedly failing to hunt down the terrorists who killed Chinese personnel in different parts of the country.

The analysts argue that an increase in terror attacks on Chinese nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and non-CPEC projects in Pakistan had panicked Chinese officials.


The mid-July killing of nine Chinese engineers in the Dasu Hydel Power Plant and attacks on Chinese nationals in Gwadar and Karachi have put a question mark on the security arrangements the Pakistan army has taken to provide safety to Chinese workers.

China has officially conveyed its concerns to Pakistani officials over the poor security arrangements and repeatedly demanded the arrest of those involved in terror activities. Some insiders claimed Beijing wanted a reshuffle in the premier security agency at the highest level to firm up the safety of its citizens and to put an end to such happenings through an efficient espionage system.

Some say that the kerfuffle over the transfer of ‘the mastermind of the Taliban project’ has brought home the scale of involvement of Pakistan’s military establishment in national and regional politics and the role it played to shape events in Afghanistan, leading to a rapid and unexpected military victory of the Taliban-led extremists.

With a view to cashing in on the friction between the civil and military institutions, the main opposition front, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), has taken a pro-army stance, demanding snap elections to stem the growing polarization in the country.

A change in the highest position of the premier spy agency was on the cards for some time, but last week’s corps commanders’ meeting ratified the changes and after that, the announcement was made.

Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa met with Prime Minister Khan Wednesday for a consultation on the new pick after the corps commanders approved the new appointments. Khan had reportedly shown his reservations on the transfer of the ISI chief and wanted the transfer order taken back.

Coup claim

Najam Sethi, a senior journalist and editor at Friday Time, revealed during a talk show that Prime Minister Khan had told the military chief that he was not taken on board about the change of the Director-General of the ISI. Sethi said the announcement about the new posting and transfer should have come from the Prime Minister’s house because procedurally, the prime minister appoints the Director-General of the ISI.

Days before the transfer order of then ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed was released, the bête noire of the Pakistan army, Maryam Nawaz, lodged a petition in the Islamabad high court, claiming Faiz had engineered a judicial coup to get rid of Nawaz Sharif.

The daughter of deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in her application, challenged the legality of the entire legal proceedings that resulted in the conviction of Maryam Nawaz, her father and spouse.

She argued that in light of the 2018 speech of former Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, the country’s top intelligence agency was involved in manipulating judicial proceedings. “These proceedings were a classic example of outright violations of law and political engineering hitherto unheard of in the history of Pakistan,” the application reads.

In 2018, an accountability court convicted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and her husband, retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, in the Avenfield Apartment case and handed them jail terms of 10, seven and one years respectively for owning assets beyond their known sources of income.

The verdict came 19 days before the general elections.

A senior Pakistani politician who preferred not to disclose his identity told Asia Times that General Faiz Hameed massively manipulated the 2018 elections.

“During the 2018 polls, Faiz Hameed who was then the deputy chief of the ISI, overlooking the internal security, had created a new front in South Punjab to cut into Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) votes. This group later en-mass joined Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) to ramp up its parliamentary strength in the center and Punjab.

“Moreover, he also supported the Barelvi extremist party Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to get the vote bank of the PML-N in the Punjab province trimmed,” he claimed. He went on to add General Faiz Hameed was also accused of hacking the Results Transmission System (RTS) on polling day to pave the way for large-scale rigging in the 2018 elections.

The media report claimed Prime Minister Khan wanted Faiz Hameed at his back at least until the next elections in 2023, to help him win the electoral battle, as he had manipulated electioneering in the 2018 polls.

On the other hand, the army reportedly had some more persuasive reasons to remove Hameed from his post. The incumbent ISI chief had played an imposing role in domestic and regional politics, which did not sit well with the highest levels of military circles.

Taliban fighters stand guard along a road in Herat on August 19, 2021. 

Photo: AFP / Aref Karimi

Welcomed in Kabul

His unexpected visit to Kabul days after the Taliban took over, and his snapshot in Kabul, sipping green tea with a triumphant smile, earned him the disdain of the global media. His conduct was equally embarrassing for his superiors in the armed forces, which the media says, felt a need to cut him to size to ramp up the dwindling civil-military relationship.

Some analysts believe that the transfer of General Faiz Hameed to XI Corps was made with the understanding that the Peshawar corps has assumed added significance because of the Afghanistan situation.

Hameed’s stint in the ISI during which he developed very close contacts with the Taliban, especially the Haqqanis, was probably the reason he was picked for the Peshawar Corps. Secondly, they argue that with the spike in terror attacks, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has now become a real threat to Pakistan’s security.

Hameed and his successor in the ISI were supposed to play a pivotal role in the peace negotiations with some of the Pakistani Taliban.

Zahid Khan, a spokesperson for the Pashtun nationalist Awami National Party (ANP), told Asia Times that those who ‘selected’ Khan would now regret their selection because Khan had played havoc with all the state institutions, including the army.

He said that the posting and transfers in the army were the prerogatives of the army chief and the notification under the prime minister’s signature was just a formality. Lashing out at the outgoing ISI chief, Zahid claimed that his lopsided policies had made more enemies than friends in regional diplomacy.

A good example, he maintained, was Afghanistan, where they thrust the Taliban upon Afghan people against their will.

“General Faiz Hameed has overstepped his constitutional parameters by playing a larger than life role in the domestic politics and in the Afghan internal affairs, which put the country in international isolation. His gratuitous visit to Kabul and hobnobbing with the Haqqanis has smashed the image of the country, which is now running a risk of being sanctioned by the US Senate,” Zahid added.

Mars’ nuclear technology lands back on earth

A group of former SpaceX engineers are making safe and cheap nuclear power portable on Earth

By DAVE MAKICHUK

ASIATIMES.COM

OCTOBER 17, 2021

Radiant’s microreactor is being developed for use in locations where other forms of power generation may not be practical, or even available. The company’s 1-MW-plus design makes it suitable to remote commercial sites, and military bases. Credit: Radiant.

Remote military and commercial installations often rely on environmentally and polluting fuels such as diesel to create the necessary electric power they need, to carry on.

And in some areas of the world, reliance on diesel, solar and wind power are either unavailable, impractical or untenable, say experts.

So what if you had a reliable, safe and portable means of power, that would not need refuelling for 4 to 8 years?

Thanks to the aerospace technologies and software developments that have occurred over the past 20 years, there is now another option.

A team of former SpaceX engineers is developing the “world’s first portable, zero-emissions power source” that can bring power to remote areas and also allows for quick installation of new units in populated areas, Nuclear power is going portable in the form of relatively lightweight, cost-effective microreactors, Interesting Engineering reported.

That’s right, nuclear power is going portable in the form of relatively lightweight, cost-effective microreactors.

Last year, the team secured US$1.2 million in funding from investors for their startup Radiant to help develop its portable nuclear microreactors, which are aimed at both commercial and military applications.

According to the statement, Radiant’s in-development technology brings a whole new dimension of portability to the once feared nuclear reactor.

Their microreactor, which is still in the prototype phase, outputs more than 1MW, which Radiant says is enough to power approximately 1,000 homes for up to eight years.

Each unit delivers over 1 MegaWatt of electricity and can operate for up to 8 years, providing enough power to support over 1,000 homes per unit. Remote monitoring, centralized fueling and maintenance enable microgrids without any permanent impacts. Credit: Radiant.

Designed to fit in a shipping container, it can be easily transported by air, sea, and road, meaning it will bring affordable energy to communities without easy access to renewable energy, allowing them to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

Radiant founder and CEO Doug Bernauer is a former SpaceX engineer who worked on developing energy sources for a future Mars colony during his time at the private space enterprise.

During his research into microreactors for Mars, he saw an opportunity for developing a flexible, affordable power source here on Earth, leading to him founding Radiant with two other SpaceX engineers.

“The nuclear industry can benefit greatly from aerospace technologies and software developments that have occurred over the past 20 years, and have not made their way into nuclear,” Bernauer said in an interview with Power Magazine.


“A lot of the microreactors being developed are fixed location. Nobody has a [commercial] system yet, so there’s kind of a race to be the first.”

Radiant announced last year that it had received two provisional patents for its portable nuclear reactor technology.

One of these was for a technology that reduces the cost and the time needed to refuel their reactor, while the other improves efficiency in heat transference from the reactor core.

The microreactor will use an advanced particle fuel that does not melt down — a crucial factor in safe operation — and is capable of withstanding higher temperatures than traditional nuclear fuels.

Helium coolant, meanwhile, reduces the corrosion and contamination risks associated with traditional water coolant. Radiant has signed a contract with Battelle Energy Alliance to test its portable microreactor technology at its Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Technology garnered from potential Mars exploration is now benefitting the creation of safe and portable nuclear power on earth. Credit: Medium.com.

The use of microreactors to expand distributed power generation is part of a trend toward providing electricity to remote areas, as well as to military bases and commercial operations that need access to power but are far from the traditional grid.

“Cost optimization, a reduced power peaking factor … that’s all part of our design,” Bernauer told Power, noting the microreactor’s portability provides “freedom and optimization. One of the benefits of the portable system is that it’s so small, we can autonomously operate it.”

Not only is the portable microreactor better for the environment, but it is also more practical as it doesn’t rely on constant shipments of fuel. Instead, the clean fuel used for Radiant’s microreactors can last more than 4 years.

There are many remote locations around the world that require portable power such as arctic villages and remote military bases.

These locations currently rely on fossil fuel-powered generators, which is not only bad for the environment, but also challenging logistically, because generators require constant shipments of fuel over rural roads.

In the military, transporting fuel can be dangerous: according to an October 2018 US Army report titled, “Mobile Nuclear Power Plants For Ground Operations,” about half of the 36,000 casualties in the nine-year period during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom2 occurred from hostile attacks during land transport missions.

Bernauer said Radiant is operating under the auspices of the US Department of Energy during testing, and looking at the Department of Defense (DOD) as its primary market, as the DOD seeks a way to provide power to military bases in areas where access to electricity is not available.

The DOD, like other enterprises, also is looking at ways to reduce or eliminate the use of diesel and other fuels to provide power generation in remote areas.

“We target 72 hours from setting it down onsite, to full power production capacity,” Bernauer told Power.

He said the unit could be moved to a new location “after waiting just one week. It’s a self-contained system after you hit your site. The operating life is four to eight years, and that’s of course demand dependent. It can sync with other units and with the grid as well.”

Bernauer said portability of Radiant’s microreactor is key to its deployment, unlike small modular reactors that may be designed specifically to scale up.

“We can do a modular configuration, but we’re more interested in keeping it portable,” he said.

A company investor said the engineering and aerospace background of the Radiant team is an important aspect of his decision to support the effort.

“The innovative and ambitious team at Radiant has expertise from SpaceX as well as impressive nuclear industry credentials,” said investor Tom McInerney. “They have what it takes to bring new clean-energy solutions to market, and I’m excited to be part of their journey.”

“Clean, safe nuclear power — which is now embraced by both political parties in the US — is the best alternative to fossil fuels in many environments,” said Bernauer.

“Our team’s combined expertise in nuclear technology, rapid product iteration, and commercializing complex technologies give us a huge competitive advantage in this market, and we’re grateful to our investors as well as partners such as the Idaho National Laboratory who are helping us get to our first prototype.”

Sources: Interesting Engineering, Power Magazine, Global Newswire

 

Geomagnetic Storm: Solar Eruption Arrives at Earth

By NASA OCTOBER 16, 2021

The CME associated with the October 9, 2021, M1 flare arrived as anticipated early on October 12, UTC-day. The CME shock front arrived at the DSCOVR spacecraft (1 million miles from Earth) at 12/0147 UTC (Oct 11 / 9:47 pm EDT) as solar wind speed increased by nearly 100 km/s and total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength quickly elevated to over 15 nT. Geomagnetic activity increased as expected with the CME arrival and G1-G2 (Minor-Moderate) storm conditions were met. The CME progression remains fluid at this time and a G2 Watch is still in effect for the remainder of October 12 and a G1 Warning continues until 12/2200 UTC (6:00 pm EDT). Continue to visit our SWPC webpage for the latest updates, warnings & alerts, and forecasts. Credit: NOAA

A mass of solar material that erupted from the Sun on October 9, 2021, reached Earth on October 12. The Earth-directed coronal mass ejection, or CME, elevated the Kp index, a measure of disturbance to Earth’s magnetic field, to 6 (moderate level). Kp index levels range from 0 (quiet) to 9 (intense).

The CME was associated with an M1.6 class solar flare from Active Region 2882 on that peaked on October 9 at 6:38 UTC (2:38 a.m. EDT). M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number provides more information about its strength. An M2 is twice as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as intense, etc. The flare also generated a solar energetic particle eruption that was detected by NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead, or STEREO-A spacecraft, at 7:51 UTC (3:51 a.m. EDT).

Active Region 2882, shown here near the middle of the Sun’s disk, erupted with a moderate level solar flare on October 9, 2021. This animated gif shows images from the 131 Angstrom channel of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument. Credit: NASA/SDO

STEREO-A also detected the CME from its vantage point away from Earth. The CME’s initial speed was estimated by NASA’s Moon to Mars Space Weather Operations Office to be approximately 983 kilometers per second (610 miles per second). This and other information about the event is reported in the Space Weather Database Of Notifications, Knowledge, Information (DONKI) catalog.

The COR2 coronagraph on NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A spacecraft, which views the Sun’s corona by occluding its bright surface, detected this Earth-directed CME on October 9, 2021. Credit: NASA/STEREO

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center is the official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts. Visit http://spaceweather.gov for information about potential impacts from this event.

NASA and ESA tech geeks posted an 'unboxing' of the Hubble telescope's successor

Who among us can't related to unboxing hype?

By Adam Rosenberg on October 16, 2021

Is there anything more relatable to the tech-lovers of the internet than the thrill of tearing open the packaging on the latest, shiniest gadget? NASA and the European Space Agency get it.

On Friday, the Twitter account for Ariane 5, an ESA launch vehicle, shared a series of "unboxing" photos for the James Webb Space Telescope. For those who might not know, that's the powerful successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been peering into the furthest reaches of space since 1990.

In December, Ariane 5 will carry the new space telescope into orbit where it will bring its fancier optical technology to bear on the same kinds of tasks that Hubble once handled on its own. While it's a big moment for space research, the future satellite has been dogged by controversy due to its connection to Webb, a former NASA administrator who presided over the federal agency in the '50s and '60s when gay and lesbian employees faced discrimination there.

That controversy hasn't slowed down the launch plans, or led to a name change. But the concerns some have voiced continue to loom large as the Dec. 18 launch approaches. One NASA adviser even quit over their dissatisfaction with the agency's handling of naming concerns.

These photos nonetheless offer a fascinating look behind the scenes at how a massive and wildly expensive piece of space tech like this is transported. At roughly the size of a tractor trailer, the $10 billion satellite isn't exactly the easiest thing to ship.

The James Webb Space Telescope is currently set for its one-way trip to outer space to launch on Dec. 18, 2021. Although construction was completed in 2016, the launch has been delayed multiple times, first for further testing and later as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. For now, all indications are that the December launch will proceed as planned, barring any of the usual temporary weather hiccups that often disrupt space launch plans

ONTARIO

Witches sweep through downtown Blind River as part of Witches Dance (6 photos)

The fifth annual event brought nearly 30 participants and an array of vendors to downtown Blind River

By: Kris Svela

Saturday marked the fifth annual Witches Dance in downtown Blind River.

Kris Svela for ElliotLakeToday

About 28 witches made a clean sweep of Blind River’s core business area descending on the downtown twice and setting a spell on the large crowd who came to watch.

Saturday’s event marked the fifth year the Witches Dance has been held and was augmented by an array of vendors who set up shop along the sidewalk under partially sunny skies.

There were the traditional Halloween decorations along the street and games eagerly played by children.

Organizer Kristy Blanchet said the original Witches Dance was set up by her and two friends after seeing a similar event on YouTube and has grown with more witches and more spectators taking part each year.

“We saw this on YouTube and we said this looks kind of interesting do you think we could do this,” Blanchet said of the original idea to stage it in their hometown. “Now I have a big mouth and they said if you organize it, we’ll help you.”

They started out with nine witches and now have 28 witches. The organizers are hoping to expand with more witches next year.

Members are not part of any dance class and “it’s just for fun,” according to Blanchet who was dressed as the lone good witch.

Those who want to take part must attend the regular practices.

“We practice in the elements and all we ask you to do is bring your broom.”

The practices are held in open areas by the river, at a local school and at the firehall where they can be safely held.

Blanchet said she has already been approached by two men wanting to take part next year and hopes more will join in a Warlock Dance.

Dancing witches take over Blind River

Christian D'Avino
CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca 

Videojournalist
Published Oct. 16, 2021 

SAULT STE. MARIE -

A group of witches in Blind River have brewed up a new concoction for residents, with an eye on getting them moving and grooving.

The annual "Witches Dance" has returned for its fifth year in the town, with this year's event coinciding alongside its fall fair.

"It really started off a YouTube video, where we found a group of dancing women in Germany," said Kristy Blanchet, organizer. "I turned to the girls and they said they thought we could do this."

Only nine witches joined in the dance through its first year, which saw them dance down the sidewalk of Woodward Avenue, the towns main street.

"Everybody was like, what's going on, and then we were like, okay lets go down the street with a stop sign, we stopped traffic and then it kind of escalated after that," said Shari Gosselin, who has taken part in the event every year.

The witches dance was one of the few events not to get cancelled by COVID-19 last year.

It's also grown tremendously since it first began, according to Blanchet.

"This year I asked the town council to close down the main street," she said. "We were able to set up games, crafts, vendors, everything has really turned out great."

Blanchet said roughly thirty witches took part in the event this year, but is looking for more in the future.

Japan’s carbon goal is based on restarting 30 nuclear reactors

BLOOMBERG
Oct 17, 2021
Japan’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 46% by 2030 is based on the assumption it will restart 30 of its nuclear reactors, a top ruling party executive said.

Akira Amari, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, made the remarks Sunday in a televised debate broadcast by NHK ahead of the Oct. 31 general election.

Much of the nation’s nuclear capacity has been offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster and Amari said only nine reactors are currently in service. Surveys generally show the electorate is against restarting the plants.

The LDP has also been promoting the idea of building small modular reactors, saying they are safer than Japan’s existing atomic plants. Amari said Japan was in a particularly difficult situation in meeting carbon targets, because it has no power links with other countries and doesn’t have reliable prevailing winds,

Why Crypto Mining Needs Nuclear Power

Florent Heidet, Milos Atz
Wed, October 13, 2021

Opponents of cryptocurrency often cite its energy and pollution footprint as major reasons against adoption. However, the natural synergies between cryptocurrency mining and nuclear power could take that issue off the table altogether.

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies secured by cryptography. Unlike physical money, like dollars, cryptocurrencies are not minted by national institutions. Instead, they are created through complex algorithms that take place over computer networks. While not all crypto currencies have a specific function, the most valuable ones, such as BTC and ETH, exist primarily to carry financial transactions embedded in the blockchain – the cryptographic transaction record.

Dr. Florent Heidet is a scientific manager for a large public research institution. He has worked on advanced nuclear technologies for over 15 years, contributing to many types of advanced nuclear reactor technologies. Dr. Milos Atz is a nuclear engineer at a large public research institution where he works on a variety of advanced reactor analysis and waste management research projects.

Recently, the values of many cryptocurrencies have skyrocketed, due in part to increased acceptance as well as speculation about future competition between a cryptocurrency-based decentralized financial system and the existing centralized financial system controlled by banks and governments.

The incredible rise in cryptocurrency value, associated with the ease to contribute to the cryptocurrency mining process with common computer hardware, has resulted in an ever-larger number of miners joining cryptocurrency networks. Increasing the number of miners benefits the system by further decentralizing, and therefore securing, the cryptocurrency.

Most of the major cryptocurrencies operate following the proof-of-work (PoW) scheme. In PoW, miners compete to leverage computer resources to perform cryptocurrency transactions and in return receive a reward in the form of the cryptocurrency they are enabling. Although there exist energy-efficient alternatives to the PoW scheme such as the proof-of-stake (PoS) or proof-of-space schemes, those methods haven’t been widely adopted yet by the major cryptocurrencies.

Read more: Greenidge Generation to Expand Bitcoin Mining With South Carolina Plant

Total power consumption used by mining across the major cryptocurrencies is tens of gigawatts electrical, or GWe, based on current network size and average mining equipment power. That is about the same as the power demand of Sweden or Montana. New generations of computing hardware are more efficient and progressively reduce power consumption per hashrate, but the high profitability of mining attracts more participants, yielding a net increase of the overall power used by the network. In fact, as long as the combined costs of electricity and hardware remain lower than the value of the generated cryptocurrency, the networks and their power consumption will continue growing and will soon surpass that of most countries.

Although cryptocurrency mining requires huge amounts of energy, the process itself is not directly polluting. The natural resource requirement is limited to what is needed to manufacture computer hardware and to generate electricity for the mining operations. Cryptocurrency mining is a 24/7 process using constant power with minimal downtime. Additionally, larger mining operations can require in excess of 100 megawatts of power for facilities with the footprint of a medium-size factory. Mining operations need a highly reliable and dense power supply.

The environmental impact of electricity generation depends in large part on the source used. Primary impacts include carbon emissions and air pollution from burning fossil fuels. The mix of available electricity generation sources is highly dependent on the region and when cryptocurrency miners purchase electricity from the grid, and the environmental impact is tied to the local energy mix. The cryptocurrency carbon footprint is the greatest if the grid is supplied primarily by fossil fuels.

Headlines regarding links between cryptocurrencies and the environmental impact associated with mining have become common, and resulting geopolitical decisions have hurt their valuations. That dynamic ought to concern the crypto industry, and industry participants should want to seek cleaner sources of electricity to minimize its impact on the environment.

To guarantee a share of carbon-free electricity, cryptocurrency mining operations may seek agreements with local grid operators or electricity generators. Some larger cryptocurrency mining operations may choose to own and operate their own electricity generation facilities.

Available sources of carbon-free electricity include renewables (primarily wind and solar), hydropower and nuclear power. Hydropower is geographically limited and season dependent, which leaves renewables and nuclear power as the most technically mature options. The intermittency of renewables means that they require large energy storage systems or fossil fuel backups to ensure the constant electricity supply needed for mining. Because of their footprint, large-scale energy generation through renewables in desired locations is much less flexible than other energy sources are. Those attributes make renewable sources a less attractive energy partner for cryptocurrency mining.

The power demands of the cryptocurrency mining industry create a unique opportunity for synergizing with nuclear power. Nuclear reactors harness energy from fissioning elements such as uranium. Because it isn’t burning carbon-based fuels, energy produced from nuclear reactors is carbon free. In 2020, nuclear power accounted for 50% of all carbon-free electricity generation in the U.S.

Lifecycle nuclear power greenhouse gas emissions – including mining uranium, fuel enrichment and fuel fabrication – are comparable with those of other renewable sources of electricity, shown in the chart below. In addition to being carbon free, nuclear power now comes from the kilowatt to the gigawatt levels and exhibits two particular characteristics that make it a prime partner for cryptocurrency mining.


First, nuclear power is immensely reliable. Reliability is measured by the “capacity factor,” the ratio between a plant’s actual electricity generation and the amount of electricity it could produce if it ran at 100% power with no interruptions. Nuclear power in the U.S. has the highest capacity factor of any electricity source. As such, nuclear is often described as “baseload” electricity – always up, always running, reliably meeting the electricity demand. For crypto-mining operations requiring constant power, that is a huge benefit.

Second, nuclear power is incredibly energy dense. A single fission reaction produces over 1 million times more energy than one combustion reaction. As such, the fuel and footprint requirements for nuclear reactors is very small. That pairs well with the compactness of crypto-mining facilities.

Nuclear energy comes with the stigmas of nuclear waste and nuclear accidents. Despite a few high-profile nuclear accidents in the past, nuclear power plants remain one of the safest human-made constructs, and nuclear power is among the safest sources of electricity. While nuclear waste is unavoidably generated through nuclear reactions, high resource utilization leads to extremely compact waste forms that can be safely managed with minimal footprint. Worldwide, benefits from nuclear power have far outweighed its challenges.

Engaging with the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry is advantageous for the nuclear industry, as well. Despite producing carbon-free, reliable electricity, nuclear power plants struggle to compete against the cheap natural gas that dominates electricity markets. By contrast, the cryptocurrency industry specifically demands the unique benefits of nuclear power, making partnerships an ideal opportunity. Annual crypto-mining energy costs represent tens of billions of dollars, based on total power consumption and U.S.-average electricity costs. Cryptocurrency network growth will only further propel energy cost increases. The fact that cryptocurrency valuations are likely to increase further stresses the importance of cryptocurrency clean-energy partnerships.

Read more: The Frustrating, Maddening, All-Consuming Bitcoin Energy Debate | Nic Carter

Intentional collaboration with nuclear power could reduce the cost of electricity for crypto-mining operations. The cost to generate the electricity is a small fraction of the total, with various taxes, transmission costs and delivery costs accounting for the rest. Although nuclear power does not offer the lowest electricity generation cost, crypto mining would take full benefit of its reliability, energy density and geographical flexibility. Crypto-mining farms that use nuclear power, either through collocation with existing plants or by ownership of their own plants, would pay less for their carbon-free electricity than they would if they purchased carbon-intensive electricity from the grid.

Partnerships between the crypto-mining and the nuclear industries have already started to blossom. Recent reporting has showcased agreements forged between cryptocurrency mining operations and both nuclear utilities and nuclear reactor vendors. Given the synergies between cryptocurrency energy demands and nuclear power, we hope that these industries continue to engage with each other to explore mutually beneficial opportunities for growth and collaboration.

The opinions expressed in this article are the authors’ own.

Small villages in Alberta quietly disappearing as revenues dry up, costs rise

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In the last decade, 15 communities have dissolved in the province

Liam Harrap · CBC News · Posted: Oct 16, 2021

The Village of Warner, Alta., is located approximately 65 kilometres south of the Lethbridge, Alta. Next year, the community will face a vote by resident on whether to dissolve and become a hamlet. (Joel Dryden/CBC)

After 92 years, the Village of Hythe in northern Alberta is no more. 

The community of approximately 800 people became a hamlet this summer after 95 per cent of local residents voted in support of the change.

"No one thought this was the best thing that ever happened to us, but it was the best of two bad choices," said Brian Peterson, former mayor of Hythe, west of Grande Prairie. 

If Hythe remained incorporated, property taxes would have increased by 150 per cent to pay mounting infrastructure bills, Peterson told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active. 

Due to closing commercial businesses in rural Alberta communities, there is less revenue to pay for public services like plowing snow, water and sewage, said Peterson. 

• After nearly 110 years, Granum is no longer a town

Small rural communities are also hubs for the broader surrounding areas with doctor offices, hockey arenas and churches — all of which pay no tax to the municipality. 

"It becomes unsustainable," said Peterson. 

Even if Hythe remained a village and increased taxes, few could have afforded to pay, he said. 

"There was no other way out." 

6:56Hythe Alberta

The village voted to dissolve itself and become a hamlet. Brian Petersen is the former mayor of the community. 6:56

The death of local governments

This problem is not solely Hythe's. 

Since 2012, 15 communities have dissolved in Alberta, resulting in them no longer having a mayor or council. Instead they become governed by the local county. 

In Hythe's case that's the County of Grande Prairie, which manages 11 other hamlets.

"We've lost self-direction," Peterson said. 

In the last 29 years, Jasper is the only newly created municipality in Alberta.  

Municipality	Year incorporated	Year dissolved
Village of New Norway	1910	2012
Village of Tilley	1940	2013
Village of Minburn	1919	2015
Village of Galahad	1918	2016
Village of Strome	1910	2016
Village of Willingdon	1928	2017
Village of Botha	1911	2017
Town of Grande Cache	1966	2019
Village of Ferintosh	1919	2020
Town of Granum	1904	2020
Village of Cereal	1914	2020
Village of Dewberry	1957	2020
Village of Gadsby	1909	2020
Village of Wabamun	1980	2021
Village of Hythe	1929	2021

Municipal Affairs press secretary Greg Smith said in an email to CBC that the vast majority of municipalities have financial resilience and the province does not expect a surge in applications for communities to dissolve in the coming years. 

But Peterson has a different point of view on the issue. 

"I think there's a lot of other towns and villages that are in financial trouble and don't realize it," he said. 

Rising costs

To preserve village governments, the province needs to develop new tax structures and share revenues more equally, Peterson said. 

• Grande Cache residents vote to dissolve their town

The province has significantly cut grants to help with upgrading infrastructure, said Jon Hood, chief administration officer for the Village of Warner, south of Lethbridge. 

Warner has lost grant funding by approximately 40 per cent in the last five years, he said.

Meanwhile, costs to provide services are increasing.  

Soon the community will have to pay to have an RCMP presence, a service that was previously free. 

"It's becoming extremely difficult to survive," said Hood. 

Residents of Warner will vote next year on whether to follow the same path as Hythe. 

The Town of Grande Cache was incorporated in 1966 for the development of a coal mine and was dissolved in 2019 due to a shrinking population. (CBC)

Tonya Ratushniak, former mayor of the Village of New Norway, which dissolved in 2012, said the rising cost of insurance is also hurting rural communities. 

"We used to have a lot more ham and turkey bingos and suppers," she said. 

Now, to cover liability in case someone falls, trips or chokes, it's not easy to throw events together quickly or cheaply, she said. 

"Because of this there aren't as many events in a small town as there used to be," said Ratushniak. 

While Hythe's decision to dissolve was necessary to save the community, said Peterson, it's not something he's proud of as the village's last mayor. 

"I'm certainly not going to put it on my resume," he said quietly. 

"But sometimes when you're in a leadership role, you have to make tough decisions." 

Liam Harrap  is a journalist at CBC Edmonton. He is also a big fan of fruit and meat pies. Send story tips (and recipes) to him at liam.harrap@cbc.ca.