WTF?! Cryptomining farms can consume a lot of power, so why not harness nuclear energy to run one? That unlikely-sounding scenario will become a reality in the US, where plans for nuclear-powered mining operations in Pennsylvania and Ohio have been revealed.
Data Center Dynamics reports that US power company Talen Energy will develop its mining facility and data center adjacent to the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (top) in PA. It will have 164MW of capacity during development, and once complete, will reach 300MW provided by dual 1+GW nuclear units and two independent substations. The on-site power has the potential to reach 1GW.
"It [the facility] will provide low-cost, reliable, carbon-free power to the data center clients on campus. This allows clients to benefit from carbon-free, 24/7 power being supplied directly to the campus, without the intermittency that renewable energy can experience, or requiring fossil fuels," said Talen Energy.
The company has already secured permits for the site and commenced construction.
Also see: What is Cryptomining?
With the environmental impact of cryptomining gaining more attention, helped by Tesla citing it as why the EV maker no longer accepts BTC, more firms are embracing carbon-free mining. Energy Harbor Corp. just announced a five-year partnership with Standard Power to provide nuclear power to the former's new Bitcoin blockchain mining center in Coshocton, Ohio, from this December.
Other states and countries are looking at nuclear-powered cryptomining options, along with alternative power sources such as hydroelectric and even volcanic. You could also use a Game Boy, though mining one Bitcoin will take a couple of quadrillion years.