Laos is exploring a new way to service the debts from its decades-long hydropower build-out: turning excess electricity into Bitcoin. In a report published on September 17, the South China Morning Post framed the pivot bluntly: “Saddled with debt and surplus electricity, the ‘battery of Southeast Asia’ is eyeing energy-intensive crypto mining to turn a profit.” The article situates the move within a dam-driven development model that has left Laos with power it cannot always sell and a mounting repayment schedule.

Why Laos Eyes Bitcoin Mining

The policy logic is straightforward. Bitcoin mining converts electrons into a globally liquid asset and can be sited directly at hydropower plants, mitigating transmission bottlenecks and absorbing seasonal surpluses. Laos has promoted electricity

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