U.S. Utility Mines Bitcoin To Balance Electricity Supply

Ameren Missouri, the largest utility in the state that serves 1.2 million customers, began experimenting with bitcoin mining in April to manage variability on the grid, reported E&E News. The company plugs the bitcoin mining rigs when electricity is cheap and demand is low as an alternative to ramping up its power plants up and down to match demand.

“We have pretty dramatic changes in load minute by minute, second by second at times,” said Warren Wood, the utility’s vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs, per the report. “We need something that’s really got quick, ramping up and down capability to be a really effective tool for grid balancing.”