crypto currency Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Cryptocurrency Miners Ask Federal Judge To Stop ‘Crippling’ Rate Hike Of Central Washington Utility

By Tom Banse March 19, 2019

Grant PUD operates two dams on the Columbia River, including Wanapum Dam shown here, which provide its customers low cost hydropower. CREDIT: TOM BANSE / NW NEWS NETWORK

Cryptocurrency companies in Central Washington were left to wait in suspense on Tuesday after they asked a federal judge in Spokane to block an imminent, targeted electric rate increase. The energy-intensive data center operators claim they would be crippled by the Grant County Public Utility District rate hike. The utility says the case is without merit.Read More

Honey, Please Stop At The Grocery To Pick Up Some Bread, Milk And… Bitcoin?

By Tom Banse January 17, 2019

You can now buy bitcoin at select Coinstar kiosks in Washington and two other states, including at this one in Tumwater, Washington. CREDIT: TOM BANSE / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

West Coasters may soon be able to pick up bread, milk and, yes, bitcoin, at their local supermarket. Read More

China-Based Cryptocurrency Firm Establishes Foothold In Central Washington

By Tom Banse November 19, 2018

Dignitaries cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Bitmain's new East Wenatchee bitcoin mine -- in other words, a data center that earns cryptocurrency. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

One of the biggest players in the global cryptocurrency space has established a foothold in the Pacific Northwest. China-based Bitmain Technologies held a ribbon cutting for a $20 million data center near the Wenatchee airport on Friday. A celebratory mood ran through the grand opening despite headwinds besetting the virtual currency sector.Read More

Higher Electric Rates May End Central Washington Bitcoin Rush

By Tom Banse September 19, 2018

File photo. Chelan County Public Utility District managers want to shut down unauthorized bitcoin operations. CREDIT: XIANGFU/WIKIMEDIA

In the last few years, rock-bottom electricity rates have attracted bitcoin miners and other virtual currency entrepreneurs to central Washington state. But in Chelan and Grant counties, that lure may be on the wane because of looming power price hikes.Read More

Central Washington Jurisdictions Call ‘Time Out’ On Bitcoin Boom

By Tom Banse April 9, 2018

Bitcoin mines -- or data centers -- are popping up near the Wenatchee airport among other places. Some are installed inside used cargo containers, which local councils increasingly are banning for this use. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

When the price of one bitcoin soared to almost $20,000 late last year, an influx of entrepreneurs and developers came to the Pacific Northwest in search of cheap hydropower to do bitcoin "mining." But now cities, counties and utilities at the epicenter in Central Washington are hitting the pause button.Read More

Central Washington Utility In Pursuit Of ‘Rogue’ Bitcoin Miners

By Tom Banse April 3, 2018

Chelan County PUD in north central Washington's Wenatchee Valley wants to root out a new kind of outlaw: the rogue bitcoin miner. They're attracted to the cheap electricity from the region's hydroelectric dams.Read More

Northwest Companies Raise Big Dough With Virtual Currencies Amid Security Warnings

By Tom Banse January 19, 2018

A quartet of companies from the Seattle area have raised tens of millions of dollars by tapping into a hot tech trend: virtual currency and digital coins. These token sales are largely unregulated and are sparking increasingly frequent government warnings.Read More