A power plant devoted solely to crypto mining lacks a necessary air permit but remains in operation

An upstate New York power plant used solely for crypto mining faces ongoing pushback from the Finger Lakes community, yet remains in operation despite the state Department of Environmental Conservation denying the renewal of its Title V air quality permit. The Greenidge Generating Station on Seneca Lake opened its doors more than 80 years ago as a coal-fired power plant. It closed in 2011 owing to lack of demand and a lifetime of polluting the surrounding upstate region before reopening in 2016 as a natural gas facility meant to serve the community during peak demand. Since 2020, reports the Columbia Climate School, all the Greenidge Generation Station does is power on-site proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining.

Greenidge Generation, the company at the helm of the upstate plant as well as a data center in South Carolina, swears it’s “a leader in environmental stewardship” and offsets the emissions it produces through credits, which one expert told Wired in 2020 “is better than doing nothing.” But it doesn’t negate the very real effects of skyrocketing greenhouse gas emissions from this facility. Residents have long been fighting its very existence as a blight on Seneca Lake that benefits a select few, and still have an opportunity to voice their opposition.