American Bituminous Power LP Marion County facility

Part of the Cryptomining Tracker, a project by FracTracker & Global Energy Monitor.

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American Bituminous Power LP Marion County facility was a proposed 95.7 MW cryptocurrency mine, to be located at the coal-fired Grant Town Power Plant in Marion County, West Virginia. As of January 5, 2022, the proposal was defeated and is no longer under consideration.

Location

The map below shows the location of the proposed American Bituminous Power LP facility cryptocurrency mine.

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Background

In November 2021, American Bituminous Power LP revealed a proposal in state documents to continue burning a mix of discarded shale, clay, and slurry dug out of nearby coal mines that closed years ago. This mix of discarded shale, clay, and slurry, otherwise known as gob, burns dirtier than coal along with being less energy efficient. The electricity would be used to power high-speed computers for online cryptocurrency mining.

The power plant lost $117 million over the last five years, according to documents filed with the West Virginia Public Service Commission.

American Bituminous Power LP wants Grant Town to be bought out from its energy contract with Mon Power, a FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary, so it can power the cryptocurrency mining that relies on high-powered computers. The PSC filing didn't identify who would buy the power, but there's a growing demand among cryptocurrency miners for electricity. Under the proposal, the plant envisions tapping another source of revenue by selling ash for the production of concrete.

Project Details

• Power usage (MW): 95.7 MW (PROPOSED)
• Owner: American Bituminous Power LP
• Parent:
• Location: Hwy. 17, Grant Town, WV 26574
• Coordinates: 39.55286, -80.16545 (EXACT)