The U.S. state of Texas accounts for over 28% of all Bitcoin (BTC) hashing power in the United States, according to the latest Hashrate Map by crypto mining service provider Foundry USA.
The newly updated map shows Texas with 28.5% of all the country’s Bitcoin hash rate, followed by Georgia claiming 9.64% of the hash rate, New York with 8.75% and New Hampshire accounting for 5.33%. Bitcoin’s hash rate represents how fast a mining machine operates when trying to calculate a valid block hash.
A snapshot of Foundry’s pool in December 2021 shows a different picture. Texas controlled 8.43% of the country’s hash rate at the time, while Georgia had 34.17%. Meanwhile, Kentucky stood at 12.40%, and New York held 9.53%. Compared with 2021, more U.S. states are mining Bitcoin in 2023.
Overall, by July 2023, the Bitcoin global hash rate had reached 400 exahashes per second (EH/s), nearly twice as high as at the end of 2021, when it stood at 174 EH/s, said Foundry.
The data was pulled between July 21–27, 2023, when Texas faced power curtailment. According to the report, the data captured during curtailments means that the Texas hash rate may be “higher than what’s reported on the map.”
During power curtailment, Bitcoin miners lower their production to balance energy supply and demand in the grid. Essentially, it is a way to balance energy consumption during peak times. In Texas, a program grants large energy consumers, such as Bitcoin miners, incentives for being flexible with energy use.
Riot Platforms is one Bitcoin miner participating in Texas’ curtailment program. In August, the company mined fewer Bitcoin than in July but received over $31 million in power credits from the state.
Texas has been evolving as a hub for crypto mining thanks to its cheaper energy and welcoming regulatory framework. According to data from the Energy Information Administration, the state’s electricity prices are below the U.S. average.
As of January 2023, Texas’ average residential electricity tariff was $0.14 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), an 8.3% discount compared with the national average of $0.15 per kWh. The costs are even lower for large consumers like crypto miners.
The state became a hotbed for large mining operations following China’s crackdown on crypto mining in 2021.
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