Chinese Headmaster Fired For Using School’s Power For Cryptomining

Mining for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum requires a lot of mining machines which obviously require a lot of power. A school headmaster thought he had found a way to continue mining for Ethereum without racking up his power bill. He just hooked up the machines to his school’s electricity supply which was obviously not allowed. He was fired once the machines were discovered.

Teachers at the school in China’s Hunan province were concerned about the constant whirring noise that could be heard all day and night, according to local media reports. They kept searching for the source of the noise which led to the cryptomining machines to be discovered.

The machines had racked up an electricity bill of 14,700 yuan or over $2,100. The higher than average electricity consumption had been reported to the headmaster Lei Hua himself but he reportedly blamed it on air conditioners and heating devices.

He had installed eight mining machines in the school’s computer room over the past year. He had originally installed a single machine at his home but later decided to switch the mining operation to the school after seeing how much electricity the machine required. Even the deputy headmaster became involved and acquired a machine for himself which was installed at the school in January this year.

The school’s headmaster has now been fired by authorities while the deputy headmaster has received an official warning.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Computers
Tags: China, cryptocurrencies