How Bitcoin Mining is Funding Power in Rural Zambia

Deep in Zambia’s remote northwestern region, a bitcoin mine hums beside the Zambezi River, powered by the Zengamina hydroelectric plant. Before the Kenyan-based company, Gridless, set up shop in the community, excess power from the plant went to waste. Consequently, electricity was expensive for the town’s inhabitants. However, Gridless’s mining operation, which profits from the plant’s cheap, clean energy, now provides 30% of the plant’s revenue, helping fund electricity for the town’s 15,000 residents and transforming lives. Despite the win-win situation of the partnership, things are about to change. Zengamina, a minigrid that only serves the local community, has secured funding to connect to the national grid. When this happens, its electricity will no longer make economic sense for Gridless, forcing it to move on in search of other “stranded energy” sites.

Source: BBC