Sun shines on digital mining investment in Whyalla
South Australia’s first solar digital mining centre is up and running in Whyalla.
Operated by Lumos Digital Mining, this 5MW data centre utilises renewable power to provide computing power to the blockchain network. The investment into the region will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars within the next five years, with a potential expansion to 100MW of operation.
The mining centre utilises solar power and is grid friendly. An inbuilt intelligent control capability enables the mining computers to ramp up or down operations if the grid has a power shortage.
Lumos selected Whyalla due to its location within a region rich in renewable project resources, an existing electrical infrastructure capable of handling hundreds of megawatts of connection, access to a local skilled workforce, and a supportive local government.
The company plans to launch its second 10MW mining facility in Whyalla by deploying the latest hydro cooling technologies later in the year, making the mining operation more efficient and enhancing its environmentally friendly status.
The digital mining centre will employ over 30 people when fully operational, including electricians, engineers, IT and network infrastructure, data centre operators and onsite technicians.
“We aim to build the most prominent renewable digital mining business in Australia by utilising thriving sustainable energy resources,” CEO of Lumos Digital Mining, Dong Wang said.
“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.”
More than 800,000 Australian taxpayers transacted in digital assets over the last three years, with a 63 per cent increase in 2021 compared with 2020 and more than 28 per cent of Australians that were surveyed by the Independent Reserve, own crypto assets [1], showing momentum is building for cryptocurrency transactions.
Mayor of the City of Whyalla, Clare McLaughlin, said; “With our recently endorsed Economic Strategy locked in place, we are constantly seeking new opportunities to diversify our economy; in particular renewable-focused businesses that can make use of our abundant sunshine, wind, green energy production and growing national energy infrastructure, so Lumos is the perfect fit for Whyalla.
“This also builds on our city’s mining focus, now adding data to our existing iron ore industry base, as well as providing yet another career opportunity for our local students to explore. All these facets demonstrate that this private sector investment is helping create and strengthen a sustainable and healthy local economy.”
For more information, please visit www.lumosmining.com.au