Crypto miner in Texas shuts down 99% of operations as winter storm approaches
With Winter Storm Landon expected to hit parts of Texas this week, major crypto mining firms are powering down in anticipation of high demands on the state’s power grid.
Speaking to Cointelegraph on Wednesday, Riot Blockchain’s communications director Trystine Payfer said that the company’s data center in Rockdale already had “99% of [its] power currently shut off” since beginning curtailments on Feb. 1, with demands on the grid expected to peak on Thursday night. In addition, Bitcoin (BTC) mining firms with representation in the Texas Blockchain Council sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott informing him they planned to shut down or reduce operations in response to ERCOT’s needs.
“As Texans, we want you to know that we are actively monitoring the incoming cold front, as we would any seasonal weather event,” said Texas Blockchain Council vice president Reed Clay in the letter to Abbott shared with Cointelegraph. “Likewise, we are taking proactive measures to shut down operations, shed load, and create additional capacity in response to ERCOT's needs should it be necessary.”
I urge all Texans to closely monitor weather conditions & heed guidance from local & state officials over the next few days.https://t.co/KMmmdSbIdB
According to Payfer, major Texas-based miners use 1 gigawatt for operations under normal conditions, permissible with the state’s power grid. According to ERCOT’s website, Texans are using 35,016 megawatts, or MW, at the time of publication, with the firm stating there is “enough power for current demand.” However, ERCOT’s forecast shows this demand could increase more than 42% in the next 24 hours, peaking at 49,786 MW when temperatures drop to their lowest: roughly -8 C in Dallas.
The TBC letter
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