President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele; He shared a short video on Twitter showing BTC mining rigs starting to work at a geothermal power plant that harnesses the energy of the country’s active volcanoes.
Bukele, who did not make any statement about how many machines are currently online or how much energy is allocated for BTC mining works, stated that the project has taken the first steps towards becoming a “volcanode”.
The video garnered mixed reactions on social media:
While some stated that this news was “awesome”, some users underlined that it was “difficult to imagine that such a headline existed a few months ago”. A user on Reddit claimed that El Salvador is “on its way to becoming the richest country in the world”.
Some confused users said that they learned today that there are volcanoes in El Salvador and that they are mining Bitcoin with them.
Bitcoin discussions flared up in the country:
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While Bukele is the center of international attention, the allegation that the government plans to pay employees in Bitcoin instead of US dollars continues to cause controversy in the country.
The widespread adoption of BTC in El Salvador has generated quite a negative reaction. The country’s opposition leaders have reinforced claims that this will facilitate money laundering in the country. Bukele, on the other hand, denied earlier this week that the state would pay their pensions in BTC or that companies would pay salaries in a currency other than dollars. However, rumors continue to circulate that the government is trying to allow some firms to pay their staff in Bitcoin.
Bukele’s supremacy in parliament has prompted opposition deputies. El Salvador. com reported that René Portillo Cuadra, a deputy of the opposition ARENA party, did not accept Bukele’s statements. Noting that “there is no law that says pensions and salaries must be paid in US dollars,” Cuadra proposed amending the law and “putting it to a vote” in the lower house.
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