IrkutskEnergosbyt

Energosbyt was organized on November 15, 1954. After the creation of the Irkutskenergo state energy system in the Irkutsk Region, the Energy Sales and Use Control Enterprise (Energosbyt) appeared. At the same time, the Angarsk branch of Energosbyt was created.

Aktivs

As of 2008, the company has 17 branches, in cities:

• Irkutsk
• Shelekhov
• Bratsk
• Angarsk
• Sayansk
• Tulun
• Usolye-Sibirskoye
• Cheremkhovo
• Ust-Ilimsk
• Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky
• Ust Kut
• Taishet
• Slyudyanka
• Kirensk

History

2025: TFR seized 2100 mining devices on a "gray" farm connected to the Irkutskenergosbyt network

More than 2,100 units of equipment for production cryptocurrencies were seized Investigative Committee of Russia in June 2025 during an operation in the Angarsk district. Irkutsk region The illegal farm was connected to the power grids of the Radian enterprise (a client of Irkutskenergosbyt). This was reported in the press service of the TFR.

During the investigative actions, 35 pieces of equipment were initially seized, and the rest were disconnected from the power supply, sealed in containers and transferred to safekeeping. However, on June 8, law enforcement agencies received information that the sealed containers were opened, and the equipment was again connected to the power supply.

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Фото: Freepik

After a second search, investigators seized the remaining 2,072 pieces of mining equipment. The operation was attended by investigators of the 3rd department for the investigation of especially important cases of the Investigative Committee for the Irkutsk Region, employees of the Department of Economic Security and Anti-Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Irkutsk Region and the city of Angarsk.

Andrey Kharitonov, General Director of Irkutskenergosbyt, called this case the largest illegal mining in the region in recent years. The investigation is investigating a criminal case on the fact of illegal electricity consumption under the article on large-scale fraud.

The punishment under this article provides for imprisonment for up to ten years with a fine of up to ₽1 million. Representatives of the UK announced the identification of organizations that placed illegal hosting sites on the territory of enterprises for the extraction of cryptocurrency.

The investigating authorities in the city of Angarsk seized 2,146 units of computing equipment, in Irkutsk 2,606 miners are disconnected from the network. Containers and transformer substations are sealed, the activities of mining farms that committed violations have been suspended.^[1]

2022: Fighting illegal cryptocurrency mining

In the Irkutsk region, due to underground cryptocurrencies, it is possible to switch to differentiated electricity tariffs. The region has a cross-subsidization system. This became known on December 13, 2022. For the population, the tariff is set at the lowest level, and the difference is paid by business, including a large one. And the work of illegal miners for business is extremely unprofitable. In the region, it is proposed to introduce a monthly electricity consumption rate for residents. If it is exceeded, the cost of each kilowatt will also grow.

On the territory of the Irkutsk region there are three large hydroelectric power plants at once - Irkutsk, Bratsk and Ust-Ilimskaya. Historically, in the region, the cost of electricity for the population is one of the lowest in the country. As of December 2022, this is 1.3 rubles per kilowatt. In the neighboring Krasnoyarsk Territory, citizens pay from 2.28 to 3.66 rubles. In the Republic of Buryatia - about 4.5 rubles. Therefore, the subject has been a Russian mining center for several years. The situation was further aggravated by the ban on the extraction of cryptocurrency in China. Many miners based there moved across the border to the nearest region - the Irkutsk region.

For example, cryptomainer from the Irkutsk region Sergei Yakovlev lost three trials with Irkutskenergosbyt. He tried to challenge the decision to recover 28 million rubles from him. Yakovlev arranged a mining farm for 630 kW in his summer cottage and consumed 75% of all electricity in the village. The court decided that the cost of electricity should be recalculated at a commercial rate - 4-5 times more. The defendant himself states that all electricity was used to heat the water in the two pools.

Most of the farms are in Irkutsk, Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk, but there are many of them in rural areas. The people call such points "bobryatniki." The cost of the equipment is quite high, but if you place it somewhere in a secluded place like a garage or basement, it will bring the owner tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles a month with the most modest amount of equipment. At the same time, the power system of the Baikal region receives huge damage. Experts have calculated that Irkutsk miners for December 2022 consume the volume of generation of an entire hydroelectric power station.

Since 2018, the number of gray miners has tripled. 1.8 percent of households spend 23 percent of the total electricity consumption of the population in the region. This provokes technical problems, distracts part of the cross-subsidization. But mining is an entrepreneurial activity that should be charged accordingly, - said Oleg Prichko, General Director of the Baikal Energy Company, at the end of November 2022.

Of course, this problem is relevant for other Siberian regions. As told in the company Rosseti Siberia"," they record the presence of mining farms in Krasnoyarsk Territory,,. Omsk region Khakassia

About a year ago, law enforcement agencies, together with the security department of the Omskenergo branch, carried out operational measures to identify and detain a large group of miners. Several KamAZs were required to export the seized equipment, Rosseti Siberia said. - The lower the tariff for individuals in the region, the more profitable it is for miners. The difficulty of identifying them is that they constantly change energy connection points, transport equipment from one place to another.

Mining is dangerous for electric networks by continuous consumption, because their design for the issued household load is carried out taking into account the demand factor, which is 10-20 percent of the declared capacity. As a result - constant accidents.

Initially, cryptocurrencies were caught by the simplest method - relying on hearing and sensations. Bitcoin equipment is very noisy and warm. But now they are using advanced technologies - intelligent accounting systems. They track energy consumption online, and if it has grown significantly in a particular area, power engineers immediately see this on their schemes and take appropriate measures.

The difference between the subsidized quota for the population and the commercial consumption of the miner goes through the courts. Over two years, the courts issued 600 decisions on the mining problem. The largest amount was recovered in Bayandai - 38 million rubles, - said Andrei Kharitonov, director of Irkutsk Energy Sales Company LLC.

The regional authorities, meanwhile, propose to move mining farms to separate territories. This will have to be done following the example of gambling zones, said the head of the Irkutsk region. Igor Kobzev According to him, in the information near future time a federal law on mining will be adopted, which will legalize this type of activity, after which the time will come to take the initiative of the subjects. RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The adoption of the law will introduce this activity into the legal field. After that, I propose to consider the regions of the Irkutsk region from the point of view of energy shortage and energy consumption, allocate zones with a surplus of power and it is there to make special mining zones. At the same time, to ban this activity throughout the rest of the region, - explained the governor[2].

2008:17 branches and 1,400 workers

On October 1, 2008, OOO Irkutskenergosbyt was separated from Energosbyt by OAO Irkutskenergo. The company in its new capacity began to operate as an independent energy sales structure. In 2009, together with the Irkutsk Energy System, the company celebrated its 55th anniversary.

The company sells electric and thermal energy in steam, hot water in the Irkutsk region, concludes energy supply contracts, implements a number of service and energy-saving services and serves 23.4 thousand legal entities and more than 890 thousand individuals (consumers of electric energy) in the Irkutsk region. It consists of 17 departments with 1400 employees.

2000

Since 2000, Energosbyt has been a branch of the Irkutsk Open Joint-Stock Company of Power Electrification (OAO Irkutskenergo).

1996

In 1996, the company was renamed Energonadzor AOEiE Irkutskenergo. In 1998, after the formation of the Territorial Administration "Irkutskgosenergonadzor," the company "Energosbyt" AOEiE "Irkutskenergo."

Notes