United States: AboutBit: Another cryptomine to be built at a fossil fuel plant

AboutBit, a blockchain firm founded in 2020, which has been called an 'earth-friendly' crypto-mining company, has announced that it's planning to build a 115MW cryptomine data center in Merom, Indiana, adjacent to the Merom Generating Station in Sullivan County. The firm has purchased 115MW of electricity from WIN Energy to power the facility. WIN Energy purchases its wholesale power from Hoosier Energy, located in Bloomington, Indiana. 

Speaking about the company's decision to expand into Indiana, WIN Energy CEO Tom Nowaskie, said: "We believe there is tremendous potential for rural areas and advanced technology infrastructure such as data storage, cryptocurrency and cybersecurity facilities." Nowaskie called the development an example of that potential, and said it will be exploring similar opportunities in the future." He added: "We also appreciate the continued positive collaboration and engagement with Sullivan County and community leaders."

AboutBit founder and CEO Stacy Griggs commented: "It's hard to spin up and spin down power plants. If demand in the region hits a peak, we'll actually be able to reduce our power requirements from WIN Energy and scale back our use at the mining facility, ultimately benefiting other customers in Southwest Indiana."

Griggs went on to say that the low cost of power will be a "very attractive incentive for miners looking for a base of operations." He added: "We'll be able to provide the power wholesale to miners from both the US and around the world, along with the physical space and infrastructure to accommodate their hardware demands."