{"id":118637,"date":"2026-01-20T12:32:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizen.org\/?post_type=news&p=118637"},"modified":"2026-01-20T12:32:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:32:26","slug":"the-texas-crypto-industrys-power-grab","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.citizen.org\/news\/the-texas-crypto-industrys-power-grab\/","title":{"rendered":"The Texas Crypto Industry\u2019s Power Grab"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recent investigation by reporter Keaton Peters at Straight Arrow News <\/span><\/a>found that large cryptocurrency mining operations in Texas consumed more electricity in 2024 than one million Texas homes combined, burning through roughly 14.7 million megawatt-hours of power, about as much as the residential demand in San Antonio and El Paso combined.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Peters, crypto miners’ energy usage corresponds to about 3% of all electricity produced on the state\u2019s power grid in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those energy usage numbers are indefensible. Let\u2019s call it a Texas-sized power grab that could be costing you when you pay your monthly electric bill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Every time crypto mining floods the grid with demand, it strains an already fragile system. That strain drives up everyone else\u2019s electric bills. When power is scarce \u2014 during heat waves or winter storms \u2014 crypto companies can even get paid to shut down, an additional revenue stream of your tax dollars from a state program intended to get industrial operations to pause in times of crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Crypto boosters claim their industry supports renewable energy. Still, in reality, the industry’s massive new demand often keeps fossil fuel plants running longer and justifies the construction of new power plants fueled by methane gas. That means more pollution, more climate damage, and more health risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

But costs aside, this is the same Texas that went dark during 2021\u2019s Winter Storm Uri, when the electricity supply couldn\u2019t keep up with demand. In the years since Uri, the Texas grid has had several close calls. Consider that demand keeps going up and the proliferation of another energy-hogging industry \u2013 AI data centers \u2013 and you have to ask why the Texas Legislature has done little to address the crypto industry\u2019s energy usage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Texas can do better. We should demand strict transparency, limits on grid abuse, and policies that put people before profits. Electricity is a public necessity, not a subsidy for an industry that drains our grid, our wallets, and our future while creating imaginary money.<\/span><\/p>\n

Texas doesn\u2019t owe crypto miners anything, and your utility bills shouldn\u2019t subsidize them. We\u2019ve heard enough of \u201ctrust me, bro\u201d from the tech bros.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Jos\u00e9 Medina is the press officer for the Texas office of Public Citizen<\/em><\/p>\n ","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-118637","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","tax_topic-climate-energy","tax_topic-fighting-climate-change","tax_topic-promoting-clean-affordable-energy","tax_supertag-texas","tax_news-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Texas Crypto Industry\u2019s Power Grab - Public Citizen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.org\/news\/the-texas-crypto-industrys-power-grab\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Texas Crypto Industry\u2019s Power Grab - Public Citizen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A recent investigation by reporter Keaton Peters at Straight Arrow News found that large cryptocurrency mining operations in Texas consumed…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.org\/news\/the-texas-crypto-industrys-power-grab\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Public Citizen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/publiccitizen\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/public_citizen_shared_link.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Public_Citizen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.citizen.org\/news\/the-texas-crypto-industrys-power-grab\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.citizen.org\/news\/the-texas-crypto-industrys-power-grab\/\",\"name\":\"The Texas Crypto Industry\u2019s Power Grab - 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