Washington State approves Bitmain's Ant Creek mining farm, but local community resists

Chinese mining giant Bitmain is one step closer to opening a mining facility in Washington state.

It is reported that the Walla Walla County Economic Development Department of Washington State has approved a land lease and purchase application at the Port of Walla Walla, which will allow Bitmain to build a new cryptocurrency mining plant in the area. Bitmain will lease 10 acres of land locally through its subsidiary Ant Creek, and will be allowed to purchase the land after one year. (Although Bitmain has not publicly acknowledged that Ant Creek is its subsidiary, according to public corporate registration information, Bitmain CEO Jihan Wu is the only legal representative of Ant Creek).

However, it is reported that Bitmain's original plan was to purchase another 30 acres of land in Washington State, but the plan was ultimately rejected by the local government. According to the local newspaper Union Bulletin, Ant Creek must fully agree to the terms of the transaction and pay a monthly rent of approximately $4,700.

Jeff Sterns is the executive director of Ant Creek. At the local government hearing, he described Ant Creek as a blockchain and artificial intelligence company with two different CEOs. Similarly, although Bitmain was not specifically mentioned, Jeff Sterns said the company is positioned as the world's largest cryptocurrency mining equipment manufacturer.

On the other hand, local residents of Walla Walla expressed concerns about Ant Creek taking energy from the community, which currently has the cheapest electricity prices in North America. According to the Union Bulletin, community residents were not willing to allow Ant Creek to set up a mine in the area during the hearing and were generally critical of cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrency mining companies are rapidly flocking to areas with energy surpluses and cheap electricity prices, but they are also increasingly resisted by locals. For example, Mason County and Chelan County in Washington State have temporarily frozen new mining operations, and the Quebec provincial government in Canada recently notified the local utility company Hydro-Quebe to suspend applications from mining companies.