U.S. company devises method to use coal waste to power crypto

A general view of old mining location, that provides coal waste materials to fuel the Scrubgrass Power Plant in Kennerdell, Pennsylvania, utilizing CFB (circulating fluidized bed boilers) technology to burn and convert waste coal, in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 8, 2022. Picture taken March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Alan Freed

KENNERDELL, Pa. (Reuters) - The vast amounts of electricity needed to mine bitcoin has ignited a debate about whether the energy behind the operation is worth the potential environmental costs.

But one company in western Pennsylvania believes that they have found a way to put crypto mining to work to clean up their community.