UK comic and TV host Jimmy Carr instructed the British state ought to think about mining bitcoin utilizing electrical energy that will in any other case go unused in a single day, framing the concept as a part of a broader push for extra “radical” serious about public funds.
Will The UK Mine Bitcoin With Extra Power?
Carr made the feedback in a Dec. 11 TRIGGERnometry interview recorded on “the day of the price range,” the place he questioned why the UK has by no means created a sovereign wealth fund and argued that some revenue-generating property must be handled as collectively owned.“
There are specific issues that ought to belong to everybody,” he mentioned, pointing to “the oil and fuel that sit underneath the UK” and “the wind farms across the coast.” Carr claimed that “all of that cash goes to the Crown,” and requested why it shouldn’t accrue extra on to the general public.
He prolonged the argument to infrastructure resembling “cell phone masts,” whereas stressing he wasn’t making a socialist case. “I’m not a socialist. I’m not even for state capitalism,” Carr mentioned, earlier than arguing that some property “ought to belong to everybody.”
From there, Carr provided bitcoin mining as a concrete instance of a non-tax income lever the federal government may discover. “I might not thoughts it if our authorities mentioned, yeah, we’re going to mine for Bitcoins,” he mentioned. “Our energy stations, they don’t do something at evening, so we’re going to mine for Bitcoins.” He added: “Nice. New gold commonplace. Nice.”
Jimmy Carr is the UK’s hottest comic and movie star. Carr says, “I might not thoughts it if our authorities mines for bitcoins. Our energy stations don’t do something at evening, so we’re going to mine for bitcoins. Nice. New gold commonplace. Nice.” pic.twitter.com/GZRvQT8mua
— Documenting ₿itcoin 📄 (@DocumentingBTC) December 17, 2025
Carr didn’t suggest a proper coverage design, cite figures on spare capability, or deal with governance questions round state-run mining. The purpose, as he offered it, was directional: use underutilized nationwide infrastructure extra aggressively and cease treating taxation because the default reply to funding pressures. “Do one thing radical, one thing fascinating with the funds of the nation,” Carr mentioned. “Why does all of it have to return from taxation?”
Whereas the remarks come from an entertainer somewhat than a policymaker, the framing is notable for the way it positions bitcoin in a nation-state register: not solely as a tradable asset, however as one thing a authorities may plausibly produce utilizing extra power capability, then maintain instead type of reserve worth.
Carr’s “mine with spare energy” thought has real-world analogs: Bhutan has quietly constructed a state-linked bitcoin mining operation powered largely by hydropower, a mannequin typically described as a option to monetize seasonal surplus technology.
El Salvador has additionally leaned into the “extra power” narrative. The nation mined practically 474 BTC over roughly three years utilizing 1.5 MW of geothermal power from a state-owned plant tied to the Tecapa volcano. And in locations like Iceland, miners have lengthy been drawn by plentiful renewable provide (and the economics of low cost, clear energy), making it one of the crucial mining-dense jurisdictions globally.
At press time, BTC traded at $87,113.
Featured picture created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
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