Texas paid bitcoin miner Riot $31.7 million to shut down during heat wave in August
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Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms raked in $31.7 million in energy credits from Texas power grid operator ERCOT in August.
During a record-breaking heat wave in the state, Riot voluntarily curtailed its energy consumption to take advantage of credits available by limiting use.
Riot is benefiting from an alternative source of income at a time when losses are mounting.
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During the crypto boom of 2021, Riot Platforms was raking in cash from bitcoin mining. Now the company is losing so much money that it's counting on energy credits from selling power back to the Texas grid to keep its costs under control.
Riot said on Wednesday that it earned $31.7 million in energy credits last month from Texas power grid operator ERCOT. The company generated the credits by voluntarily curtailing its energy consumption during a record-breaking heatwave.
The total value of the credits dwarfed the 333 bitcoin the company mined in August, worth about $8.9 million dollars as of the end of the month.
"August was a landmark month for Riot in showcasing the benefits of our unique power strategy," said Jason Les, CEO of Riot, in the company's press release. "The effects of these credits significantly lower Riot's cost to mine Bitcoin and are a key element in making Riot one of the lowest cost producers of bitcoin in the industry."
It's a dramatic strategy shift for Riot, whose revenue soared almost 8,000% in 2021 from booming demand for bitcoin. The crypto market reversed in 2022, leading to a net loss of over $500 million for the year. In the latest quarter, the company lost $27.7 million.
Bitcoin's recovery this year from 2022's lows has boosted Riot's stock, which is up about 230% so far in 2023, closing Wednesday at $11.24. But it's still way down from its 2021 peak of $77.90.
Bitcoin miners broadly have struggled amid low trading volume, according to an analyst note from JPMorgan Chase on Sept. 1. The firm found that the market cap of the 14 U.S.-listed bitcoin miners it tracked fell 21% in August to $9.7 billion. Riot was the worst-performing stock in that list, falling 39% for the month.
Ballooning energy prices have also helped to drag down profits for the sector, so companies have turned to alternative sources of income.
Paying miners to power down
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT , has a relatively simple and mutually beneficial relationship with bitcoin miners. The agency, through established "demand response" programs, pays miners to reduce their power so as not to overstress the grid when air conditioners need to run at full blast. In addition to summer difficulties, ERCOT also failed during the fatal winter storm of early 2021.
Riot's latest credits consist of $24.2 million from energy sold back to the ERCOT grid and $7.4 million in demand response credits.
For years, Riot has been powering down operations at its Rockdale mine , about an hour from Austin , to help ease the burden on the state's grid.
ERCOT has historically struggled with fluctuating energy prices and sporadic service, so it strikes deals with flexible energy buyers like crypto miners. The agency also counts on bitcoin miners to soak up excess power when there's too much supply, keeping prices in check.
Texas has made itself an ally to the bitcoin mining industry through credits, but the financial incentives hit a snag in early 2023. A bill to cut off the mining industry from those credits – SB 1751 – passed the Texas State Senate in April, but ultimately stalled out in a House committee. Instead, state lawmakers passed two mining-friendly bills expanding incentives and cutting red tape for the industry. Those went into effect on Sept. 1.
The economic equation revolves around how much money the miners are losing by not being up and running. If the grid operators pay the miners a penny more than they would have made from mining in any given hour, then they'll gladly power down.
"All you have to do is pay the miners slightly more than what they would have made mining for bitcoin that hour," said bitcoin mining engineer Brandon Arvanaghi, who now runs Meow, a company that enables corporate treasury participation in crypto markets. Arvanaghi calls the setup a "a win-win."
Marathon's Fred Thiel previously told CNBC that from his experience, the companies get curtailment requests less than 3% of the time in the course of a year, which he estimates comes to about five to ten hours a month. Even bitcoin miners that haven't cut a deal with ERCOT sometimes choose to power down at times of peak consumption when prices shoot higher.
Unlike the rest of the continental U.S. that belongs to one of two interconnected grids, 90% of Texas runs on ERCOT, a deregulated and independent network of energy providers that's not tethered to any other grid in the U.S.
While competition in the market often drives down the price of power as providers compete on cost to capture customers, it also means that there's less of a safety net baked into the grid. Adding a "controllable load resource" like bitcoin miners to the grid acts as a sort of life insurance policy, or a hedge against disaster.
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Riot Platforms rakes in $31.7 million in energy credits during Texas heat wave
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Make It. select ALL SELECT Credit Cards Loans Banking Mortgages Insurance Credit Monitoring Personal Finance Small Business Taxes Help for Low Credit Scores Investing SELECT All Credit Cards Find the Credit Card for You Best Credit Cards Best Rewards Credit Cards Best Travel Credit Cards Best 0% APR Credit Cards Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards Best Cash Back Credit Cards Best Credit Card Welcome Bonuses Best Credit Cards to Build Credit SELECT All Loans Find the Best Personal Loan for You Best Personal Loans Best Debt Consolidation Loans Best Loans to Refinance Credit Card Debt Best Loans with Fast Funding Best Small Personal Loans Best Large Personal Loans Best Personal Loans to Apply Online Best Student Loan Refinance SELECT All Banking Find the Savings Account for You Best High Yield Savings Accounts Best Big Bank Savings Accounts Best Big Bank Checking Accounts Best No Fee Checking Accounts No Overdraft Fee Checking Accounts Best Checking Account Bonuses Best Money Market Accounts Best CDs Best Credit Unions SELECT All Mortgages Best Mortgages Best Mortgages for Small Down Payment Best Mortgages for No Down Payment Best Mortgages with No Origination Fee Best Mortgages for Average Credit Score Adjustable Rate Mortgages Affording a Mortgage SELECT All Insurance Best Life Insurance Best Homeowners Insurance Best Renters Insurance Best Car Insurance Travel Insurance SELECT All Credit Monitoring Best Credit Monitoring Services Best Identity Theft Protection How to Boost Your Credit Score Credit Repair Services SELECT All Personal Finance Best Budgeting Apps Best Expense Tracker Apps Best Money Transfer Apps Best Resale Apps and Sites Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Apps Best Debt Relief SELECT All Small Business Best Small Business Savings Accounts Best Small Business Checking Accounts Best Credit Cards for Small Business Best Small Business Loans Best Tax Software for Small Business SELECT All Taxes Best Tax Software Best Tax Software for Small Businesses Tax Refunds SELECT All Help for Low Credit Scores Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit Best Personal Loans for Bad Credit Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit Personal Loans if You Don't Have Credit Best Credit Cards for Building Credit Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Best Mortgages for Bad Credit Best Hardship Loans How to Boost Your Credit Score SELECT All Investing Best IRA Accounts Best Roth IRA Accounts Best Investing Apps Best Free Stock Trading Platforms Best Robo-Advisors Index Funds Mutual Funds ETFs Bonds. USA. INTL. watch live. Search quotes, news & videos. Watchlist. SIGN IN. Create free account. Markets. Business. Investing. Tech. Politics. CNBC TV. Watchlist. Investing Club. PRO. Menu. Crypto World. MacKenzie Sigalos. @KENZIESIGALOS. Jordan Smith. @jordanCNBC. WATCH LIVE. Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms raked in $31.7 million in energy credits from Texas power grid operator ERCOT in August. During a record-breaking heat wave in the state, Riot voluntarily curtailed its energy consumption to take advantage of credits available by limiting use. Riot is benefiting from an alternative source of income at a time when losses are mounting. In this article. RIOT. Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT. watch now. VIDEO. 2:09. 02:09. Crypto World. During the crypto boom of 2021, Riot Platforms was raking in cash from bitcoin mining. Now the company is losing so much money that it's counting on energy credits from selling power back to the Texas grid to keep its costs under control. Riot said on Wednesday that it earned $31.7 million in energy credits last month from Texas power grid operator ERCOT. The company generated the credits by voluntarily curtailing its energy consumption during a record-breaking heatwave. The total value of the credits dwarfed the 333 bitcoin the company mined in August, worth about $8.9 million dollars as of the end of the month. "August was a landmark month for Riot in showcasing the benefits of our unique power strategy," said Jason Les, CEO of Riot, in the company's press release. "The effects of these credits significantly lower Riot's cost to mine Bitcoin and are a key element in making Riot one of the lowest cost producers of bitcoin in the industry." It's a dramatic strategy shift for Riot, whose revenue soared almost 8,000% in 2021 from booming demand for bitcoin. The crypto market reversed in 2022, leading to a net loss of over $500 million for the year. In the latest quarter, the company lost $27.7 million. Bitcoin's recovery this year from 2022's lows has boosted Riot's stock, which is up about 230% so far in 2023, closing Wednesday at $11.24. But it's still way down from its 2021 peak of $77.90. Bitcoin miners broadly have struggled amid low trading volume, according to an analyst note from JPMorgan Chase on Sept. 1. The firm found that the market cap of the 14 U.S.-listed bitcoin miners it tracked fell 21% in August to $9.7 billion. Riot was the worst-performing stock in that list, falling 39% for the month. Ballooning energy prices have also helped to drag down profits for the sector, so companies have turned to alternative sources of income. Paying miners to power down. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT , has a relatively simple and mutually beneficial relationship with bitcoin miners. The agency, through established "demand response" programs, pays miners to reduce their power so as not to overstress the grid when air conditioners need to run at full blast. In addition to summer difficulties, ERCOT also failed during the fatal winter storm of early 2021. Riot's latest credits consist of $24.2 million from energy sold back to the ERCOT grid and $7.4 million in demand response credits. For years, Riot has been powering down operations at its Rockdale mine , about an hour from Austin , to help ease the burden on the state's grid. ERCOT has historically struggled with fluctuating energy prices and sporadic service, so it strikes deals with flexible energy buyers like crypto miners. The agency also counts on bitcoin miners to soak up excess power when there's too much supply, keeping prices in check. Texas has made itself an ally to the bitcoin mining industry through credits, but the financial incentives hit a snag in early 2023. A bill to cut off the mining industry from those credits – SB 1751 – passed the Texas State Senate in April, but ultimately stalled out in a House committee. Instead, state lawmakers passed two mining-friendly bills expanding incentives and cutting red tape for the industry. Those went into effect on Sept. 1. The economic equation revolves around how much money the miners are losing by not being up and running. If the grid operators pay the miners a penny more than they would have made from mining in any given hour, then they'll gladly power down. "All you have to do is pay the miners slightly more than what they would have made mining for bitcoin that hour," said bitcoin mining engineer Brandon Arvanaghi, who now runs Meow, a company that enables corporate treasury participation in crypto markets. Arvanaghi calls the setup a "a win-win." Marathon's Fred Thiel previously told CNBC that from his experience, the companies get curtailment requests less than 3% of the time in the course of a year, which he estimates comes to about five to ten hours a month. Even bitcoin miners that haven't cut a deal with ERCOT sometimes choose to power down at times of peak consumption when prices shoot higher. Unlike the rest of the continental U.S. that belongs to one of two interconnected grids, 90% of Texas runs on ERCOT, a deregulated and independent network of energy providers that's not tethered to any other grid in the U.S. While competition in the market often drives down the price of power as providers compete on cost to capture customers, it also means that there's less of a safety net baked into the grid. Adding a "controllable load resource" like bitcoin miners to the grid acts as a sort of life insurance policy, or a hedge against disaster. WATCH: Bitcoin family tracks moon cycles to make investment decisions. watch now. VIDEO. 2:05. 02:05. Last Call. More In Crypto World. watch now watch now VIDEO 08:34. ARK Invest and 21Shares file proposal to list a spot ether ETF: CNBC Crypto World. MacKenzie Sigalos. watch now watch now VIDEO 09:15. Coinbase creates new crypto lending service for U.S. institutional clients: CNBC Crypto World. Tanaya Macheel. watch now watch now VIDEO 02:09. Riot Platforms rakes in $31.7 million in energy credits during Texas heat wave. Read More. Subscribe to CNBC PRO. Licensing & Reprints. CNBC Councils. Select Personal Finance. CNBC on Peacock. Join the CNBC Panel. Supply Chain Values. Select Shopping. Closed Captioning. Digital Products. News Releases. Internships. Corrections. About CNBC. Ad Choices. Site Map. Podcasts. Careers. Help. Contact. News Tips. Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you. Get In Touch. Advertise With Us. Please Contact Us. CNBC Newsletters. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. Sign Up Now. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Privacy Policy. |. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. |. CA Notice. |. New Terms of Service (Updated August 24, 2023) © 2023 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Division of NBCUniversal. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Market Data Terms of Use and Disclaimers. Data also provided by.