In Ohio, bitcoins are mined with nuclear energy

Starting in December, Standard Power will convert an abandoned paper mill in Coshocton, Ohio, into a mining facility that uses energy from Energy Harbor nuclear power plants for bitcoin mining. Says the joint statement from the two companies: “This innovative climate agreement helps Standard Power revitalize an abandoned Ohio paper mill into a state-of-the-art facility that brings new jobs to the region. It also enables the company to achieve its sustainability goals by powering Bitcoin’s blockchain mining center with clean, sustainable, locally generated nuclear electricity from Energy Harbor. Standard Power will also provide reliability and stability to the transmission grid by completely disrupting operations when the power grid and other Ohio customers need power most. ” In March, Tesla first accepted bitcoin as a payment option, then rejected it two months later with Elon Musk’s famous Twitter statements against the energy consumption of mining operations generated by an addiction to fossil fuels. Except, then, to readmit their use after having mediated on the possibility of extracting them according to a more balanced energy mix between fossil fuels and renewable sources. Now, accelerating the migration of miners from China to the US, Ohio is trying to focus on the use of carbon-free nuclear energy for mining activities. The United States Department of Energy by tracing an overview of the production capacities of American nuclear power plants, highlights how each, on average, produces one gigawatt of energy, while the largest American nuclear power plant in Palo Verde in Arizona produces 3.99. Yet, aside from the Energy Harbor-Standard Power partnership, nuclear power doesn’t seem to be a popular option for “clean” bitcoin mining efforts. One possible reason for the scarcity of nuclear-powered bitcoin mining could lie in the upfront costs: the construction of the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, the only nuclear project currently under construction in the US, cost more than $ 27 billion. ‘opening, originally scheduled to open in 2016, has progressively slipped, leading to more than double the initial estimates approved in 2008. Maxim Serezhin, CEO of Standard Power, explained: “Bitcoin blockchain mining centers are energy-intensive and we recognize our responsibility to build a more environmentally sustainable future. We selected Ohio for its low electricity costs due to the availability of carbon-free power sources. By partnering with Energy Harbor, we have proactively structured our hosting capabilities to ensure that 100% of the energy associated with this facility is carbon-free. “