
Australian coal power plant is being reopened for blockchain mining - DyslexicAtheist
https://www.cnet.com/news/australian-coal-power-plant-reopened-blockchain-bitcoin-applications/
======
jen729w
As an Australian, I can only apologise for this fucking disgrace.

~~~
jen729w
Update: take this news with a grain of salt. It smells like nothing more than
a statement of intent at this point, from a group who clearly have no
experience of running a power station but who probably have an excellent PR
department.

Newcastle Herald: [http://www.theherald.com.au/story/5335192/latest-twist-in-
th...](http://www.theherald.com.au/story/5335192/latest-twist-in-the-curious-
tale-of-redbank/)

~~~
senectus1
yeah, its stark raving lunacy bollocks.

dickheads trying to make a name for themselves. it'll never get off the
ground.

------
dbasedweeb
My kneejerk reaction is fury, but actually reading the article suggests
another reaction should dominate, namely disinterest.

 _According to a spokesperson from Hunter Energy, it expects roughly 5% of the
energy from the power plant will be used for blockchain related processes._

Ironically, it’s just a coal plant reopening with a touch of Blockchain hype,
but really has almost nothing to do With Blockchain tech. At this point I
wouldn’t be shocked to find “Blockchain enabled!” on peanut butter.

~~~
michaelsbradley
Actually, it may not be too many years before peanut butter, breakfast
cereals, and many items found in grocery stores have a "blockchain certified"
logo and QR code, or something along those lines. One of the interesting non-
currency applications of blockchain tech is "track and trace" for the food and
beverage industries: you could scan the code (with an appropriate app, of
course) and find a complete history of transport and processing steps for
every ingredient in a food/bev product, all the way back to the farms.

~~~
jen729w
I’ll build you this today with a “database”.

~~~
michaelsbradley
It's difficult, because a network of suppliers and processors can go very deep
and involve a great number of branches: a batch (or "lot") of red peppers from
a farm could be split up and shipped, via various shippers, to a variety of
manufacturers for quite different purposes. Getting everyone coordinated to
use a central database is... difficult. Instead big market movers (think
Walmart, Kroger, et al.) can say: "look, if you want to do business with us,
then you and all your suppliers and their processors and suppliers in turn,
and so on, need to transact lot and batch numbers and related info into this
distributed ledger thingy, which we will all be a part of running [think
industry-specific Hyperledger (or similar) application, not _the_ Bitcoin or
Ethereum blockhains _per se_ ]. The data transacted has to conform to certain
ISO standards. If the data's not there, all the way back to origin, we'll stop
doing business with you. You have 5 years to get ready. Get started."

------
jaimex2
This is why needed the carbon tax.

------
eof
> According to a spokesperson from Hunter Energy, it expects roughly 5% of the
> energy from the power plant will be used for blockchain related processes.

clickbait nonsense

~~~
mburns
> Once the power plant is reopened (expected to be completed within 12
> months), it will offer wholesale or "pre-grid" power prices to blockchain
> companies

Doesn't seem like nonsense.

~~~
eof
it will offer that to everyone, including blockchain companies

