Fort Worth, Texas becomes first US city to mine Bitcoin

What

Fort Worth, Texas has become the first city in the US to mine Bitcoin

Why

The city’s council voted unanimously in favour of a resolution to become a crypto-friendly city, accepting a donation of Bitcoin mining machines

What next

After six months, Fort Worth will re-assess and decide whether to remove the machines or continue to build on the mining operation

The Story

Council members of the US city Fort Worth have voted unanimously in favour of a resolution to accept a donation of three Bitmain Antminer S9 Bitcoin mining machines in a bid to become a crypto-friendly city.

The machines, worth $2,100 were donated from the Texas Blockchain Council and will run 24/7 in a climate-controlled area of Fort Worth City Hall. The program will then be evaluated in six months.

“We have to be on the forefront of what’s possible, especially when it comes to cryptocurrency and innovation across this country,” said Mayor Mattie Parker, also claiming that Fort Worth will become the first city in the US to mine Bitcoin.

The city expects that the cost of energy needed for the three machines will be offset by the value of Bitcoin mined, with each machine expected to consume the same amount of energy as a household vacuum cleaner, according to estimates.

Texas has become a centre in the US for Bitcoin mining as crypto miners moved to North America following the China ban.

To learn more about Bitcoin and how it is mined, visit our learning resource here.