Crypto Miners in Texas Halted Due to Extreme Heat
Annie Li Jul 12, 2022 08:35
Many crypto miners have shut down operations due to a heatwave in Texas.
Many crypto miners have shut down operations due to a heatwave in Texas.
With temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit already in most areas, the Electric Reliability Commission of Texas (ERCOT) on Sunday urged Texas residents and businesses to save electricity.
Crypto miners have stopped mining operations, fearing that the state's electrical energy may not be able to meet electricity needs, such as turning on air conditioners for long periods of time.
Crypto miner Core Scientific tweeted a notice that to help people in Texas, all Core Scientific ASIC servers located in the state have been shut down and will remain closed until further notice.
ERCOT (Electrical Reliability Commission of Texas) is the organization responsible for operating the state's electrical grid.
Many crypto miners in Texas have voluntarily cooperated to manage their power consumption as needed to ensure that the ERCOT grid is not under extreme stress. ERCOT requires a perfect balance between demand and supply to ensure the smooth operation of the grid.
Demands could hit a record 79,615 megawatts (MW), the group said. And ERCOT reported on Sunday that wind energy is "producing significantly less electricity than it has historically produced during the period" -- less than 8% of capacity is expected to peak at demand.
Miners registered with ERCOT’s ancillary services are ready to shut down power at ERCOT’s direction due to the unusually high temperatures and the drop in wind power generation from the ERCOT system, available to all Texas consumers during periods of peak demand.
Many famous mining companies settle down in Texas so far. The London-listed Bitcoin mining company Argo Blockchain is one of the mining firms that officially launched its flagship mining facility Helios in Texas in May. In June, Riot Blockchain said it planned to ship the "remaining fleet of S19 miners" from New York to Texas,
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