Remote Siberian data centre reaps rewards of bitcoin rally

A view shows the data centre of BitRiver company providing services for cryptocurrency mining in the city of Bratsk in Irkutsk Region, Russia March 2, 2021. BitRiver offers hosting services and turnkey solutions for cryptocurrency mining operations to institutional investors including bitcoin mining firms. Picture taken March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Four thousand kilometres from Moscow near the shores of the Angara River, a Russian firm operating a vast data centre run on cheap local hydroelectric power is reaping the rewards of bitcoin's surging prices and plans to double its power output this year.

BitRiver hosts equipment at its flagship 100-megawatt data centre in the city of Bratsk, along with other smaller sites, for foreign miners of the cryptocurrency from the United States, Europe and Japan who want to harness the region's cheap energy.