From Aluminum To Bitcoin: Alcoa To Sell Dormant Plant To NYDIG
Bitcoin mining agency NYDIG already has pores and skin within the recreation on the Massena, New York website — it holds a stake in Coinmint, which runs mining {hardware} there underneath a long-term lease. Now the corporate needs the land itself.
A Deal Years In The Making
Alcoa’s Massena East smelter went darkish in 2014 after vitality prices climbed and abroad competitors reduce into margins. The sprawling facility alongside the St. Lawrence River has sat idle ever since.
Based on reports, Alcoa CEO Bill Oplinger instructed Bloomberg the 2 corporations are deep in talks and expects a deal to shut someday in the midst of 2026. Financial phrases weren’t disclosed.
For NYDIG, the attraction goes past location. Industrial smelters are wired for round the clock heavy operations — they arrive with substations, transmission strains, and grid connections that may deal with huge energy hundreds.
Data heart operators and crypto miners usually wait years to construct that sort of infrastructure from scratch. At Massena, it already exists. The website additionally attracts energy from the New York Power Authority’s hydroelectric provide, which cuts prices and reduces the carbon footprint of no matter runs there subsequent.
Old Industry, New Tenants
Massena is just not the one shuttered smelter drawing curiosity from the digital sector. Earlier this yr, Century Aluminum offered its Hawesville, Kentucky facility to TeraWulf for $200 million.
TeraWulf plans to show the location right into a high-performance computing and AI campus. Since that deal closed, TeraWulf shares have climbed 80% year-to-date, in keeping with Yahoo Finance knowledge.
The sample is evident: retired heavy trade websites, lengthy thought-about liabilities, are being snapped up by corporations that want energy and house quick. These properties provide one thing new development can’t — infrastructure that’s already permitted, already related, and already constructed.
NYDIG Bets Big On Bitcoin
While many miners are shifting towards AI and cloud companies to offset shrinking returns, NYDIG is doubling down on Bitcoin.
Last yr, the agency — owned by Stone Ridge — acquired Crusoe Energy’s Bitcoin mining operations, together with its pure gasoline flare mitigation enterprise.
The Massena deal, if it closes, would mark one other important step in that route.
Other gamers within the house are taking a unique street. MARA Holdings picked up a 64% stake in French infrastructure firm Exaion to interrupt into AI companies. Hive, Hut 8, TeraWulf, and Iren are all changing mining services into knowledge facilities.
NYDIG, for now, is charting its personal course.
Featured picture Romain Costaseca/Hans Lucas/AFP through Getty Images, chart from TradingView