South Australia hosts 5-MW solar-powered crypto mining centre

The South Australia government on Monday announced the opening of the state’s first solar-powered digital mining centre, a 5-MW facility operated by Lumos Digital Mining.

In addition to using solar power, the mining computers are grid friendly, meaning they can step up or down operations in case of a power shortage.

There is a potential to expand the mining centre, which is located in Whyalla, to 100 MW of operation. Lumos intends to launch a second 10-MW mining facility using hydro cooling technologies later in 2022.

According to the announcement, the company picked the location because of the high renewable project resources in the region, a sufficient existing electrical infrastructure, the availability of a local skilled workforce and a supportive local government.

Lumos chief executive Dong Wang says the company wants to create “the most prominent renewable digital mining business in Australia.”

“There is a rapid growth in demand for digital mining in Europe and the USA. We came to South Australia because it has traditionally been a strong adopter of new technologies and digital innovation and the state is rich in renewable energy generation,” he added.

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