Soviet fertilizer lab reopens in Russia as cryptocurrency ‘farm’

KIRISHI, RUSSIA – A Russian company on Monday opened what it said was the country’s largest cryptocurrency mining unit, in a former Soviet fertilizer-producing laboratory.

The opening comes as Russian authorities seek to regulate the booming cryptocurrency sector.

“This is the largest and so far the only farm in Russia that offers the ‘full cycle’ — not just producing cryptocurrency but also offering services to those who do the mining,” said Alexei Korolyov, co-founder of the Kriptoyunivers center.

The creation of cryptocurrencies, which are traded on the internet independently of central banks, is energy intensive.

The northern Russian facility manufactures bitcoins, the most famous virtual currency, as well as litecoins — one of a number of competitors that flourished due to the success of currencies created using blockchain technology.

The private venture covers 4,000 sq. meters in Kirishi, a town some 180 km (110 miles) southeast of St. Petersburg.

It…