Bitcoin, which already uses more energy than all of Argentina and which has been found by researchers to cause $.49 in environmental and health impacts for every $1.00 in mined value, is starting to figure out how to clean up their act. Several different mining operations are looking to partner with existing and newer sources of highly reliable nuclear power to ensure that mining operations don’t have such a detrimental impact on the environment and human health.
TeraWulf, a bitcoin miner, is looking to partner with Talen Energy through a joint venture to secure as much as 300 MW of zero-carbon power from Talen’s Susquehanna nuclear power station in Pennsylvania to use for bitcoin mining capacity. The current plan is for TeraWulf to site the Nautilus Cryptomine facility, a 180-MW bitcoin mining plant, next to Talen’s two-unit Susquehanna nuclear station and to power it via a direct interconnection to Susquehanna that provides low-cost, reliable, zero-carbon electricity “behind the meter.” Such an arrangement will provide Nautilus Cryptomine with one of the lowest electricity costs among publicly traded bitcoin mining peers in the US.
Also, Ohio-based nuclear operator Energy Harbor signed a five-year partnership with Standard Power to provide electricity from its nuclear fleet to Standard Power’s new bitcoin blockchain mining centre in Coshocton, Ohio beginning in December 2021.
Finally, Silicon Valley nuclear startup Oklo announced recently it had signed a 20-year commercial partnership with Compass Mining to power bitcoin mining with advanced nuclear plants. Terms were not disclosed.
Read more at NucNet “Bitcoin / Joint Venture Will See US ‘Mining’ Facility Powered By Nuclear ,” published August 5, 2021.