TFTC: A Bitcoin Podcast Bitcoin Mining in ERCOT | Brad Cuddy, Center of Hash E007
30 snips
Sep 9, 2025 
Brad Cuddy from Cholla Inc. is a Bitcoin mining expert focused on Texas operations. He discusses how Bitcoin mining has become essential to grid stability, responding dynamically to power pricing during scarcity. Cuddy explains the competition for energy between Bitcoin miners and AI data centers, highlighting how miners adjust consumption to support the ERCOT grid. He also delves into renewable energy integration and the economic models that enable Bitcoin mining to optimize underused energy resources.
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Miners Act As Rational Grid Responders
- Bitcoin miners in ERCOT act as economically rational, price-responsive loads that curtail during scarcity events.
- This demand-side response reduces peak prices and helps avoid costly generation turning on.
Mining Reached Grid-Scale Impact
- Bitcoin mining load in ERCOT grew from ~1.5 GW to ~3.5–4 GW over a few years.
- That scale materially affects an 85 GW peak system and increases grid flexibility.
ERCOT’s Islanded Grid Raises Stakes
- ERCOT is electrically islanded and cannot rely on large interconnections for support.
- That isolation makes local, flexible demand and resources especially valuable for reliability.