Texas’ Bitcoin Miners Switches off Their Machines Following an Unexpected Heat Wave
- Argo and Riot were among the bitcoin miners that stopped their operations because of the severe heat wave.
Texas-based bitcoin miners paused their operations following information that a severe heat wave was about to hit the state. According to weather forecasts, some parts of Texas are likely to experience temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius.
A combination of these high temperatures and the energy consumption of these mining firms could cause outages for the energy network. Furthermore, mining rigs operate at optimum under low temperatures. Remember that crypto mining difficulty is rising by the day.
Crypto Miners in Texas Respects Extreme Weather
Texas blockchain association president (Lee Bratcher) recently told Bloomberg that most of the top bitcoin miners in the state are no longer operating following the recent weather forecasts. Meteorologists predict that there will be a severe heat wave across Texas throughout this week.
Argo and Riot blockchain are among the top bitcoin miners in Texas. Texas’ crypto-friendly policies and cheap energy costs attract Bitcoin miners. These miners use multiple energy-consuming supercomputers needed to mine bitcoin.
These high energy-consuming operations and severe heat waves could negatively affect Texas’ power grid. Consequently, Texans will suffer from an unstable electricity supply. Bratcher further said that the mining firms switched off 1,000 megawatts in bitcoin mining load. As a result, the energy will complement that of the state’s network.
He further explained that the 1,000 megawatts make it possible to push back more than 1 percent of total grid capacity into the grid. Thus, providing more energy for retail and commercial purposes. As of July 8, 2022, Texas’ energy usage reached an all-time high of 78,206 megawatts.
Incidentally, average temperatures at that time were about 37-38 degrees Celsius. However, the temperatures are likely to exceed 40 this week. Texas’ electric reliability council (ERCOT) said mining firms agree with the ERCOT to halt operations whenever these extreme conditions exist.
ERCOT is Texas’ power operator and oversees the operations of the state’s bitcoin miners. This council predicts that electricity demand by these mining companies could reach six megawatts by June 2023. ERCOT claims that these six megawatts can sufficiently power all the homes in Houston, Texas.
Montana Miners too Affected
Like Texas, Montana is another US state hit by these unfair weather conditions. Seventy-five percent of marathon digital’s operations were severely affected last month when a heavy storm hit Montana. Marathon digital hopes to resume operations this month. However, the mining firm admits that its productive operations will be low till there is a complete resolution of the damages.
Earlier in the year, Marathon Digital hinted that it plans to move a few of its mining equipment to other crypto-friendly US states such as Texas. Now that Montana has storm and heat issues, Marathon might execute its movement plans sooner than later.
Marathon digital CEO Peter Thiel said it would take some time before miners resume operations fully. However, Marathon will keep rebuilding its hash rate and expand its bitcoin production. He further confirmed that the planned construction and installations are still ongoing.
Rebecca is a Senior Staff Writer at BitcoinWisdom, working hard to bring you the latest breaking news in the cryptocurrency market. In the words of Elon Musk “Buy stock in several companies that make products & services that *you* believe in. Only sell if you think their products & services are trending worse. Don’t panic when the market does. This will serve you well in the long-term.”
