Bitcoin Miner in New Zealand Meets Big Resistance From People » Crypto Insiders

Bitcoin mining is one of the most controversial topics you can talk about. Some people see it as a fair solution to central bank policies, others see it as a waste. This is still noticeable in a new project in New Zealand. There is the construction of a brand new Bitcoin mine encountered opposition†

Bitcoin miners are flexible

In Central Otago is a river where a large dam was built to extract hydroelectric power. “Clyde Dam” will be connected to a nearby data center. Contact Energy is collaborating on the project with Lake Parime, an English digital infrastructure company. The facility will have a variety of uses, including “blockchain and cryptocurrency.” Ook ‘other decentralized’ the computer-services’, including machine learning (artificial intelligence), economic modeling and data visualization tasks should be included.

Contact Energy stresses that it will not be used exclusively for mining, but it is not clear how the capacity will be allocated. Murray Dyer is the head of Simply Energy, a division of Contact Energy. He points out that the data center does not require 24/7 availability.

The complex will therefore be relatively flexible and can reduce its consumption if local businesses and consumers need more electricity. This is not ideal for certain types of crypto miners, as the reliability of nodes is sometimes determined by the availablity† This will therefore mainly concern blockchains where the uptime is less important, such as Bitcoin. This flexibility is guaranteed in the contract.

Opponents BTC Operation

The local population seems less satisfied with the developments, despite the guarantee of the future data center that it will not be used exclusively for crypto mining. It is striking that noise pollution would be a factor. To avoid this, a noise barrier will be placed at the level of the dam. Additionally, assurance that the power would not be used exclusively for cryptography was also a necessity.

Clyde Dam is New Zealand’s third largest hydroelectric power station. The method of generation also forms a significant part of New Zealand’s total electricity production; more than half of all electricity comes from dams according to the government†