Sealminer A4 Ultra Hydro
Bitcoin & Bitcoin Cash ASIC Miner
886TH
HASHRATE
9.45W/TH
EFFICIENCY
8373W
POWER
£862.14
EST. MONTHLY
NO PAYBACK
EST. ROI
Image: Bitdeer · Original source. Historical construction photograph released in June 2023.
Renewables and heat reuse
Druk Holding and Investments describes using digital assets, including Bitcoin, to derive value from surplus hydropower while diversifying Bhutan’s energy system.
- Project at a glance
- Hydropower strategy
- Source date and context
- 18 June 2025
- Published financial detail
- The sources reviewed do not include full project accounts.
- Our comparison
- A UK example per 1,000 miner kWh
About 5 minutes to read
Hydropower is part of a wider national strategy
DHI presents digital assets, including Bitcoin, as part of Bhutan's efforts to gain value from its energy resources and diversify its economy. The setting is very different from a single farm or commercial building. Seasonal river flows, domestic electricity use and export opportunities all affect what power is available and what it is worth.
Seasonal electricity needs shape the opportunity
Hydropower system→domestic demand, exports and computing
The value of a national Bitcoin holding cannot be used as a mining return per kWh. It can change after the coins were mined, and may reflect decisions about when to hold or sell them. A site comparison needs the electricity used, mining output, equipment costs and the alternative export value for the same period.
What the numbers could look like in the UK
The calculation below uses assumed UK prices to show how the costs fit together. It is our example, not this project’s reported earnings. Replace the inputs with current machine estimates and the costs at your own site.
Illustrative UK calculation
Income and running costs
1,000 kWh used by miners, plus 50 kWh for pumps and fans. All amounts in pounds.
Operating contributionBefore equipment and installation costs
£15.901.59p per miner kWh
Here, using the electricity for mining gives up a 5p/kWh export payment. That cost includes the 50 kWh used by pumps and fans. It is the value of an alternative sale, so it is not also charged as a grid electricity bill. The example assumes the generation equipment already exists.
| Mining income | 8p per miner kWh; an assumed rate, not a live earnings estimate |
|---|---|
| Electricity | 5p/kWh × 1,050 kWh = £52.50 |
| Pool fee | 2% of gross mining income |
| Useful heat | 0% of miner electricity = 0 kWh; no heat income assumed |
| Other running costs | £10 per 1,000 miner kWh; an allowance to replace with your own costs |
| Costs still to add | Equipment, installation, finance, tax, depreciation, major replacements and any costs above the allowance |
The contribution is what remains from mining income and useful heat after the stated running costs. It is not net profit: the equipment and other excluded costs still have to be recovered. Pumps and fans use electricity but earn no mining income in this calculation.
| Gross income per miner kWh | Operating contribution |
|---|---|
| 5p | −£13.50 |
| 8p Chart example | £15.90 |
| 11p | £45.30 |
- Mining income needed to cover running costs
- 6.38pper miner kWh
- Highest electricity cost or export value supported
- 6.51pper total electricity kWh
These are two ways to read the same example. Adding equipment costs or a larger maintenance allowance raises the income needed and reduces the electricity price the project can afford.
Compare heating options and work out annual costs
If the electricity has no export value or other useful destination, removing the export cost improves this example by £52.50. Generator maintenance, equipment costs and any payment to the electricity owner still remain. Heat is given no value here because the source does not establish a usable heat supply.
For an annual estimate, use the miner electricity expected during hours when running makes sense. Scale the contribution by annual miner kWh divided by 1,000, then deduct fixed annual costs. Recalculate if electricity prices, mining income or usable heat change.
Simple payback is the total installed cost divided by positive annual cash contribution. There is no payback under a scenario with zero or negative contribution. The sources reviewed here do not provide the full project accounts needed to calculate an actual payback for this installation.
Keep mining income separate from asset price gains
Evaluate mining alongside export opportunities and seasonal domestic electricity demand.
Separate mined output, purchased assets, realised sales and mark-to-market gains. Obtain site energy use, seasonal availability and alternative export value.
Questions worth asking
- Which months have genuine surplus?
- Does computing support an energy objective after accounting for all infrastructure and financing costs?
Try your own electricity and heat figures
Compare available miners and dated earnings estimates. Include heat only where you can use it or have a customer for it.
Sources and photographs
Sources checked on 29 September 2026. Project facts and quotations come from the publications below; the UK calculations and practical assessment are The Mining Shop’s analysis. This article is based on published material, rather than a site visit.
Photographs: Bitdeer (source).
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