Fortitude Mining, a Zcash-focused miner backed by Digital Currency Group CEO Barry Silbert, has energized a new 12-megawatt mining facility in Grand Island, Nebraska. The site is the company's first self-developed mining operation and brings its total contracted power portfolio to more than 60 MW across seven locations in five states. CEO Andrea Childs stated that the move is a significant step in the company's owned-and-operated power strategy, providing cost discipline and operational flexibility.
The Nebraska site's estimated electricity cost of approximately $0.045 per kilowatt-hour, combined with newer-generation mining equipment, is expected to slash Fortitude's Zcash production cost from around $70 to roughly $40 per ZEC. The facility is strategically located between two solar power installations and adjacent to a substation with excess capacity, allowing it to utilize underutilized electricity while remaining interruptible during peak demand to participate in grid services.
The news comes roughly one month after Fortitude announced a merger with HeartSciences to gain access to public markets and expansion capital. Despite ZEC's 9% intraday dip to $460 before a slight recovery, the asset remains up over 1,000% over the past year. DCG's Silbert has previously argued Zcash could capture 5–10% of bitcoin's market cap, underscoring his long-term conviction.
