Hut 8 determining future of Drumheller site
By Medicine Hat News on March 6, 2024.
@MedicineHatNews Hut 8 says it will announce a “go forward” plan for its Drumheller site soon, following a year-long attempt to get its first-ever facility back up to full capacity. An operational update from the North American data crypto-miner and data processor in February states it is finalizing a plan for Drumheller, known as Golf by the company. Hut 8 previously announced that issues in early 2023, power surges and technical problems have limited operations at the site. It opened prior to the company and City of Medicine Hat announcing a power deal for a “flagship” local facility in 2018. Drumheller has a capacity to draw 42 megawatts of power from the Alberta grid, while Medicine Hat’s 67-megawatt capacity is supplied two thirds by the city plant and one third by the Alberta power market that is handled by the city distribution company. The February update states the local facility weathered high prices during the winter. “Despite volatility in energy prices in February, the team utilized mutually beneficial terms in the Electric Service Agreement covering its Medicine Hat site, which provides the opportunity for both parties to benefit from high prices in the Alberta power market while helping to stabilize the electrical grid,” it states. In late February the company also announced it would begin construction on a new facility in Culberson County, Texas, near El Paso. Power capacity would be 63 megawatts with a budget estimate of US$17.3 million. 9-8
