BITCOIN ENTERS B.C.’S NORTHERN COMMUNITIES
M
ining for bitcoin is
Australia, is expanding its business
in other communities in northern
a significant power
model to northern B.C. with its first
B.C., including Mackenzie and
guzzler. Because it has
mining data facility located in Canal
Prince George, allowing miners to
the potential to release
Flats. Built on the site of a shuttered
run at optimized hashrates, increase
significant amounts of greenhouse
lumber mill, now called the Columbia
revenue earning opportunities, and
gases, large data mining companies
Lake Technology Centre, it opened
extend expected miner life.
are under pressure to utilize clean
with a six-megawatt data centre and
power to run their operations.
is working toward expanding to 30
Bitcoin is a global decentralized digital currency that can be sent
power sourced from BC Hydro.
company’s 50-megawatt site in Mackenzie. Upon completion, the specialized data centre will add
between users over peer-to-peer
The company builds and operates
approximately 15 full-time local
bitcoin networks without the need
specialized data centres and focusses
jobs at the facility. Construction is
for intermediaries such as banks,
on creating infrastructure in regions
set to commence at the company’s
governments, or administrators.
where it can access abundant or
85-megawatt site in Prince George,
Mining for bitcoin involves high-
under-utilized renewable energy
where approximately 20 full-time
powered computers that are used
to power its operations. Industrial
local jobs will be created once it’s
to secure the bitcoin network, and
sites with existing access to clean
operational in 2023.
miners are compensated based on the
hydroelectric power can make for
amount of power that they direct to
perfect data center locations.
the network.
36
megawatts by fusing to hydroelectric
Construction is underway at the
The company is actively engaging with local First Nations, surrounding
Iris Energy is already repeating the
communities, and local businesses
Iris Energy, a sustainable Bitcoin
approach they took with the Canal
to ensure there is widespread benefit
mining company headquartered in
Flats’ specialized data centre design
from their presence in the region.
Resource Connector North 2022
