Loud North Carolina Crypto Miner Forces Residents to Relocate (Report)

Residents of Murphy, North Carolina, complained that a cryptocurrency miner located in the area causes “insane” noise and negatively impacts the electric grid. 

As such, some people have decided to leave the town and settle in another place.

‘It Sounds Like You Are Behind a Jet’

The crypto miner installed by the San Francisco-based company PrimeBlock seems to be a huge problem for some of the 1,600 inhabitants of Murphy, North Carolina. In a recent interview, resident Mike Lugiewicz said he will relocate because of the unbearable noise coming from the facility.

“This morning it’s running at about 85 decibels. It sounds and feels like you’re behind a jet sitting on the tarmac, and that jet never leaves, or imagine being inside of Niagara Falls and not being able to get rid of the noise ever like your house is dead center of Niagara Falls,” he said.

Apart from that, the miner has harmed the domestic power grid. Lugiewicz said the community was left without electricity over the Christmas holidays when temperatures dropped to three degrees Celsius. Despite the blackout across the town, the facility was still working:

“While we’re sitting in the dark, I can look out my window, and I could see the crypto mine had power, and I think that that’s kind of hurtful right there for the power companies to shut down our power, but leave the crypto mines up and running.”

While Lugiewicz has already decided to move somewhere else, many locals are elderly people who do not have that ability. He raised hopes that the authorities take necessary measures to stop the “insane” noise and restore the well-being of the Murphy inhabitants:

“My fight is more for my friends and neighbors. We had one neighbor up on top of the mountain, and her house feels like it’s going to vibrate apart. It’s so loud up there.”

Crypto Mining Could Have Benefits, too

Despite the numerous claims that cryptocurrency mining harms the environment and consumes a lot of energy, the process could have a positive impact if employed properly. 

One such example is the Canadian town of North Vancouver, where the Lonsdale Energy Corporation (LEC) partnered with the bitcoin miner – MintGreen – to recycle released energy and use it for heating residential and commercial buildings.

The innovative heating solution provides the locals with a constant source of electricity since the mining company operates at full capacity 365 days a year.