Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT), the third largest Bitcoin mining company by market capitalization, announced this week its acquisition of Kentucky-based Block Mining for $92.5 million. The deal immediately boosts Riot's hash rate and expands its geographical footprint beyond Texas into new energy markets.
Riot Platforms Acquires Block Mining for $92.5 Million, Expands Bitcoin Capacity
The transaction, which closed on July 23, involves an $18.5 million cash payment and $74 million in Riot common stock. An additional earn-out of up to $32.5 million is possible through 2025, contingent on Block Mining securing additional power purchase agreements.
Block Mining operates two sites in Kentucky with a combined 60 megawatts (MW) of operational capacity, which Riot plans to expand to 110 MW for self-mining operations by the end of 2024. The acquisition also includes a greenfield expansion opportunity that could potentially add another 150 MW of capacity.
“This acquisition marks a significant milestone for Riot as we continue to expand our growth pipeline,” Jason Les, the CEO of Riot, stated. “It allows us to diversify our operations nationally and accelerate Block Mining's expansion in Kentucky.”
The deal increases Riot's total potential power capacity to 2 gigawatts and is expected to add 1 exahash per second (EH/s) to Riot's existing self-mining hash rate, with the potential to reach 16 EH/s by the end of 2025.
The move comes two months after the proposal to acquire another Bitcoin miner, the rival Bitfarms, which rejected a $950 million buyout offer. Riot, however, continues its efforts, seeking three seats on the board of the company, of which it already holds a 15% stake.
“Riot Platforms not only shares our vision for an energy-efficient Bitcoin miner but also a complementary culture that values teamwork, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” added Michael Stoltzner, CEO and Co-founder of Block Mining.
The acquisition provides Riot access to new energy markets, including those serviced by the Tennessee Valley Authority and Big Rivers Electric Corporation in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator region. This diversification is expected to enhance Riot's power strategy and operational flexibility.
Crypto Miners with Challenges in 2024
The announcement of the intention to acquire a competitor from Kentucky did not significantly affect Riot's NASDAQ stock prices, with the miner's shares down 27% this year.
This illustrates the general unfavorable trend among cryptocurrency producers in 2024, whose stocks are being sold off by investors. Riot Blockchain currently has a market capitalization of $3.4 billion, ranking it third just behind CleanSpark, which has a nearly $3.8 billion market cap. CleanSpark's shares are an exception to the trend, gaining over 50% this year, while the rest of the industry struggles.
The largest cryptocurrency miner, Marathon Digital Holdings, with a market capitalization of $5.8 billion, is down 16% this year, and competitor Hut 8 is down by 7%. Finance Magnates reported this week that Marathon was fined $138 million following a unanimous jury verdict in a breach of contract case.
After years of a cryptocurrency winter, and in 2024 following the halving, miners began looking for alternative ways to utilize the computing power of their massive data centers. As BTC mining becomes less profitable, they are shifting their focus towards supporting resource-intensive artificial intelligence and cloud hosting.
