As temperatures soared and demand surged across New York this week, Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. delivered 88% of its Dresden facility’s electrical output to the local power grid, the company announced Wednesday.
The move followed an Energy Warning issued Tuesday by the New York Independent System Operator, which cited “a decline in operating reserves” and warned that “emergency operations may be initiated to maintain system reliability.”
Greenidge, which operates a cryptocurrency datacenter and power plant in Yates County, said it was able to quickly reroute power from mining operations to the grid thanks to major infrastructure investments.
“Near instantly, we can turn up production of electricity to the local grid – keeping prices down during a heat wave and making sure this community can stay cool and safe,” said Greenidge Generation President Dale Irwin. “We can do this because of the tens of millions we’ve invested in modernizing this facility and to keep it online and serving Upstate New York.”
Irwin criticized opponents of the facility, saying, “It’s a fact that often gets ignored by the Manhattan interest groups who want to shut this facility down. We’re sending power to the grid literally every minute we produce power – it’s a part of our operating agreement.”
The Dresden plant operates under a standing agreement with NYISO that requires continuous power contribution to the grid during operations. When grid stress increases, Greenidge shifts more of its generation capacity to meet demand. According to the company, what once took 14 hours to ramp up before the facility’s crypto operations now takes only minutes.
Greenidge emphasized that it will continue daily contributions to the regional grid for as long as the facility operates.
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