Residents of a Bitcoin mining facility on the shores of Seneca Lake in the US state of New York complain about the steep rise in water temperatures. The miners cool their computers with sea water.
In June, many residents of the small town of Dresden on Seneca Lake in the USA broke their necks. They organized a protest against the Greenidge Generation Bitcoin mining facility. This pollutes the air and heats up the lake – mainly because it uses fossil fuels – specifically natural gas. “The lake is so warm that you feel like you are in a whirlpool,” Abi Buddington from Dresden told NBC News.
42 degrees warm water is allowed to flow into the lake
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Greenidge, a company owned by private equity firm Atlas Holdings, is not aware of any guilt. According to Greenidge boss Jeff Kirt, the facility operates strictly within the framework of federal and state environmental permits. The environmental compatibility of the plant was “never as good as it is now,” said Kirt. In addition, Greenidge would offset its carbon emissions and strive to move away from natural gas as an energy source.
In fact, Greenidge uses lake water to cool its roughly 8,000 computers, which are used for bitcoin mining at the gas-powered facility. To do this, Greenidge can suck in and release over 500 million liters of seawater per day. In summer the water released can be up to 42 degrees Celsius, in winter it can still be 30 degrees. The underlying permits are due for renewal in autumn.
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