Top US-based fuel producer ExxonMobil is reportedly mining Bitcoin (BTC) in an effort to cut down on wasted energy.
According to a CNBC report, ExxonMobil has partnered up with Denver-based energy company Crusoe Energy Systems to mine Bitcoin in North Dakota using technology that repurposes surplus natural gas.
The pilot program, which began in January 2021, converts excess natural gas that would otherwise be burned off into electricity that can be harnessed to power Bitcoin mining.
According to CNBC, ExxonMobil is less interested in making money from the mining project and instead is focused on reducing wasted energy in order to meet industry-wide standards.
Recently, ExxonMobil joined other oil companies in committing to an initiative introduced in 2015 by the World Bank to end gas flaring, the combustion of natural gas associated with oil extraction, by 2030.
Cully Cavness, the president of Crusoe Energy Systems, told CNBC that what the company is doing in conjunction with ExxonMobil tackles two crucial issues at once.
“This is just a great way to…solve two problems at once. Solve the energy appetite of Bitcoin and solve the stranded energy, flare gas problem for the energy industry.
We’re really moving the needle on flared volumes. More than 10 million cubic feet of gas per day that would be flared is not flared because we’ve deployed our systems.”
ExxonMobile is also planning to start similar pilot programs in other regions including Alaska, Nigeria, Argentina, Guyana and Germany, according to Bloomberg.
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