Here’s how Marathon Digital uses bitcoin mining to heat a Finnish city

Leading digital asset technology company Marathon Digital has found a way to harness the heat from its Bitcoin mining operations.

Marathon's latest announcement revealed the launch of a pilot project to heat a Finnish community of approximately 11,000 residents with recycled heat from Bitcoin mining operations.

Marathon uses minerals to heat circuits

The Finnish district heating project is the first of the Marathon, which is the first time in Europe. District heating involves heating local buildings by distributing centrally heated water through underground pipes. Finland relies on biomass for district heating; However, this project is seeking to reduce carbon emissions and operational costs.

Europe's cooler climate has attracted data center companies that benefit from the continent's reduced energy consumption and infrastructure costs. The cold temperatures have led to the creation of a network of district heating systems aimed at providing warmth to residents.

Although European data centers use less energy, their share is at least twice the global average, which is 3% compared to 1-1.5% globally. This means that these companies produce a large amount of heat, which can increase strategic cooperation with district heating systems.

Instead of wasting the heat produced by data centers such as Marathon, it can be reused to meet the heat demand in the districts. This reduces costs and waste for the parties involved and eliminates the need for carbon-emitting heat sources.

“Following the success of our pilot project in Utah, where we proved that using landfill gas for digital asset computing is both economically viable and environmentally beneficial, we continue to explore new ways that our operations can add value beyond the storage of distributed ledgers, like Bitcoin,” said Adam Swick, Marathon's Chief Development Officer.

Growing the Crypto Mining Industry

Marathon commissioned a 2-megawatt data center for a pilot project in Finland's Satakunta region at the end of May. It's part of Marathon's ongoing commitment and exploration of new revenue streams.

Marathon Chairman and CEO Fred Thiel believes the project could spur the growth of the crypto-computing industry and strengthen Bitcoin mining in the space.

“This Finnish pilot project is an important step in our strategy to expand globally and innovate sustainably. We're not just producing digital assets; we're heating homes and integrating sustainable practices into our business model,” Thiel added.