Largest bitcoin miner in Texas closes ahead of cold air

Crypto miner Riot Blockchain shut down most of its large bitcoin-producing operations in Texas to save electricity. It was the strongest cold air to hit since the Texas power grid collapsed last year. The company voluntarily began reducing power usage for bitcoin mining servers at its Whinstone factory in northeast Austin, spokeswoman Trystine Payfer said in an email. As of Wednesday, the mining site's energy consumption had been reduced by about 98 percent. The mining site uses enough electricity to power 60,000 homes in the state.