2026-04-13T11:00:01Z https://nostr.now HashrateUp https://nostr.now/npub1xtgj2932t7mjvklwfl9zr6rxntr0at9nmgjve4ym92jkll604westtf5en https://hashrateup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/hashrateup-logo.png https://hashrateup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/hashrateup-logo.png https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsdquhnl5lm2u305hpzu5v4cmtz2xdyl5lfs45rkrm52t3n3uh6qaqzyqedzfgk9f0mwfjmae8u5g0gv6dvdl4vk0dzfnx5nv422mllf74mxz5dfsx Oil companies are quietly mining Bitcoin. Not as a PR move. As capital allocation.<br/><br/>I interviewed Stephen Barbour from Upstream Data in Canada. He builds off-grid mining infrastructure for oil fields. Has been doing it since 2017.<br/><br/>What changed: the inquiries now come directly from the oil companies, not from third-party miners. Publicly traded ones. One US client is self-mining and uses Unchained Capital for treasury.<br/><br/>The economics make sense. Stranded gas burns anyway. Run an ASIC on it and you monetise the energy, beat flaring on emissions, and generate government royalties. You don&#39;t need the latest hardware. S19s work fine.<br/><br/>His take on the AI pivot: he didn&#39;t pivot. He added. Oil and gas services run on the same team, same machines, same facility. When Bitcoin mining softened in 2020, oil demand saved the business. When oil futures went negative, Bitcoin came back. Two uncorrelated markets. That&#39;s the hedge.<br/><br/>And his infrastructure rule: keep it portable. Containers, not bricks. If Bitcoin mines the energy contract today and AI wants the site tomorrow, you move the load.<br/><br/>Watch the 54-min conversation: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnR1CCfKCZ0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnR1CCfKCZ0</a> 2026-04-03T12:51:24Z https://nostr.now/nevent1qqsvjq5aqyre340axdv8wy95dtkg7vlh2v5g7apd07pq0vym086lexgzyqedzfgk9f0mwfjmae8u5g0gv6dvdl4vk0dzfnx5nv422mllf74mxjwxq3q Paraguay&#39;s government just figured out the Bitcoin mining game.<br/><br/>After seizing thousands of illegal mining rigs, they realised these machines print Bitcoin. Now they want to mine it themselves with free government power.<br/><br/>Kent Halliburton from SAZ Mining explains the full cycle. First governments fight Bitcoin mining, then they try to extract maximum taxes, then they back off when miners leave, then they want to participate directly.<br/><br/>Paraguay went from hostile to wanting their own mining operation. Ethiopia following the same pattern. <br/><br/>This is how nation-states get orange-pilled on mining. They see the revenue potential of turning excess electricity into Bitcoin permissionlessly.<br/><br/>Watch the 37-min breakdown: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edKl_5cAe20">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edKl_5cAe20</a><br/><br/>The future is governments competing to attract hashrate, not chase it away. 2026-03-19T17:28:43Z