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Bengal Energy to mine Bitcoin using ‘stranded wells’ in Aussie outback

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Canadian oil and gasoline firm Bengal Power, is dipping its toes into Bitcoin (BTC) mining as a means of using the untapped power from its gasoline wells within the far reaches of the Australian outback. 

According to a report from The Australian, Bengal Power is about to conduct a pilot program the place roughly 70 Bitcoin mining rigs shall be arrange inside a conveyable constructing — recognized within the native mining trade as a “donga” — which shall be assembled close to a collection of beforehand out-of-operation gasoline wells within the Cooper Basin.

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Based on Bengal Power’s chief working officer, Kai Eberspaecher, the corporate acquired the gasoline wells from its native oil and gasoline extraction companions, Santos Power and Bridgeport Power.

Eberspacher added that the not too long ago acquired gasoline wells posed an attention-grabbing drawback to the power firm as a result of they’re what is called “stranded wells.” Which means that whereas the corporate can technically produce energy from the gasoline on website, the present distribution pipelines are too far-off to succeed in.

A pipeline that may service Bengal’s distant gasoline wells is at the moment underneath building, nonetheless the delays in improvement have been additional exacerbated by Covid-related provide chain points.

“We had been principally taking a look at six months of getting wells prepared however with out an outlet. We had been coping with stranded property.”

Transportable Bitcoin mining rigs in dongas had been stumble on as an answer to the issue. A trial donga shall be outfitted with 66 mining rigs that may generate roughly 0.005 BTC per day which equates to roughly $235.

If the trial is profitable, Bengal Power is reportedly in search of to multiply its Bitcoin mining output by an element of 10 to twenty instances, which means that complete earnings may attain wherever from $2000 to $5000 per day.

Associated: ExxonMobil is using excess natural gas to power crypto mining

Bengal Power provides its identify to a rising listing of mining corporations together with ConocoPhilips and Exxon Mobil, which are in search of to harness the total potential of sometimes wasted or stranded power by means of transportable Bitcoin mining operations.

In response to the widely-published criticisms of Bitcoin mining on environmental grounds, fossil gasoline corporations have grow to be more and more involved with discovering new methods to restrict the dangerous byproducts of mining operations in addition to harnessing any sustainable options the place doable.

The Bitcoin Mining Council estimated a sustainable energy mix of 58.5% for the worldwide trade within the fourth quarter of 2021. Miners in Norway are even using waste heat to dry out lumber.