Rockdale, Texas just struck a Bitcoin gold mine. Rockdale is a small town in a rural county in central Texas and is the new location of a Bitmain cryptocurrency mining operation. It is located at the site of shuttered Alcoa aluminum smelter, on the outskirts of Rockdale. When the Alcoe smelter closed it cost the county hundreds of much needed jobs. The local paper the Rockdale Reporter is heralding this as “The Happy Days are Here Again.”
Earlier this month the Texas Crypto Alliance wrote about commercial crypto miners increased interest setting up locations in the United States and Texas, and now we are happy to welcome Bitmain and the 300-500 long term, well paying jobs it will create to Texas!
The Alcoa site that Bitmain is re-purposing for crypto mining is massive and we can expect a large scale operation there, with room to grow. Bitmain is re-purposing the old Alcoa potlines that are contained in the expansive rows of warehouses in the pictures below. The facility also contains the heavy duty electrical infrastructure needed for a large crypto mining operation.
Bitmain has public job postings for the crypto mining facility in Milam County, including for a Project Manager and a Data Center Site Manager. These are high paying jobs and is just a taste of what is to come.
According to the census Milam County has a population of about 24,000 people and a median household income of $33,186, and the median income for a family was $40,431. About 12.20% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.80% of those under age 18 and 15.30% of those age 65 or over.
Bitmain and crypto mining will bring much needed jobs and growth to Milam County, and the Texas Legislature and local officials should fully embrace the economic benefits of the crypto industry. Thank you Milam County and the City of Rockdale for leading the way.
