Episode
The West Texas Loophole Bitcoin Miners Are Exploiting w/ Chris Alfano
- Published
- May 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3035
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Summary
🔗 Chris Alfano: Website: https://360energyco.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-alfano-a195a058/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/chrisallfano In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Chris Alfano, CEO of 360 Energy, to break down one of the most overlooked power cost advantages in Bitcoin mining: negative-priced natural gas in West Texas. Chris explains why the Waha Hub has traded at negative prices 70% of the time over the last three years, what's driving that structural imbalance in the Permian Basin, and how Bitcoin miners can co-locate at stranded gas sites to access energy costs that go below zero. The conversation covers 360 Energy's origin story, two and a half years of off-grid R&D, their APEX gas offtake model, and the contrarian case for deploying into Bitcoin mining right now while the rest of the industry pivots to AI. Whether you're an operator looking for your next marginal cost of power or a miner sitting on older-generation ASICs wondering where to redeploy them, this episode lays out a concrete playbook for mining profitably in a low hash price environment. 0:00 Introduction & 360 Energy background 7:00 Raising $6M in 2021 and the school of hard knocks 15:51 The AI pivot and the contrarian case for Bitcoin mining 22:00 Why West Texas gas trades negative: Permian Basin explained 28:24 $1,800/day revenue per 1.2 MW just for consuming gas 35:48 ASIC redeployment: off-grid sites as a hospice for older miners 43:13 Scale, service model, and rapid fire questions 🛠Sponsored by: SoloMining – Home & solo mining made easy Code: HASHRATEUP https://solomining.de Altair Technology – Buy Bitcoin Mining Solutions Code: HASHRATEUP https://altairtech.io 📲 HashrateUp Hardware Deals Telegram: https://t.me/hashrateup 📩 HashrateUp News…