Africa Surveyors January-February issue 2023 digital

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MININGTerawulf Energizes First Nuclear-Powered Bitcoin Mining Facility inthe US, Plans to Expand OperationsNuclear-Power plant |image: MDPIBy Jamie RedmanTerawulf, a bitcoin mining operation, hasannounced that it has energized thefirst nuclear-powered bitcoin miningfacility in the United States at the company’sNautilus Facility in Pennsylvania. Accordingto the company, approximately 1 exahash persecond (EH/s) or close to 8,000 applicationspecificintegrated circuit (ASIC) bitcoinminers are now online, and another 8,000mining rigs will be delivered shortly.Nuclear-Powered Bitcoin Mining — AMilestone for Carbon-Free Bitcoin MiningTerawulf announced that the first behindthe-meterbitcoin mining facility poweredby nuclear energy has been energized,with nearly 8,000 ASIC mining rigs nowoperational. The current 8,000 account for1 EH/s of SHA256 hashpower, but Terawulfexpects to deploy another 8,000 miners inthe coming weeks to reach 1.9 EH/s by May.According to the company’s press releaseabout the Nautilus energization, Terawulfwill receive a fixed electricity rate of around$0.02 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the nextfive years.The Nautilus facility is considered a milestoneas it is the first bitcoin mining facility of itskind to receive carbon-free energy 24/7 fromthe 2.5 GW Susquehanna nuclear plant inPennsylvania. “With the recent energizationof the Nautilus facility earlier this month,approximately 16,000 of Terawulf’s ownedminers, representing 1.9 EH/s of self-miningcapacity, are on-site and being brought onlinedaily,” said Paul Prager, the chairman and CEOof Terawulf, in a statement. “The Nautilusnuclear-powered mining facility benefits fromwhat is arguably the lowest cost power in thesector, just $0.02/kWh for a term of five years.”While 2022 was rough on bitcoin miningoperations, 2023 has been easier on bitcoinminers due to a significant rise in the priceof bitcoin (BTC) since the end of last year.Additionally, several firms are expandingmining operations, with some locating toPennsylvania. Seven days ago, MawsonInfrastructure Group launched a miningoperation based in Pennsylvania afterexiting Australia. In addition to the 50-MWNautilus facility, Terawulf announced that itis expanding operations at its Lake Marinerfacility in New York. This move will increasethe Lake Mariner operation from 60 MW to110 MW.32 January-February issue l 2023 www.africasurveyorsonline.com
MININGReviving Nigeria’s neglected$700bn mining sectorBy Natasha TejaAmid the global push for greenenergy solutions, Nigeria’s reservesof critical minerals such as lithium,manganese and nickel are in high demand,prompting the government to release a seriesof initiatives that will fast-track foreign directinvestment into the sector.On February 8, the Africa Finance Corporation(AFC), a pan-African multilateral developmentfinancial institution, established a partnershipwith the Nigerian mining sovereign wealthfund, Solid Minerals Development Fund(SMDF). The partnership aims to acceleratecommercial scale, private sector-led miningprojects by providing much-needed fundingand technical advisory.Nigeria’s mining sector boasts 44 differenttypes of commercially viable mineralsworth an estimated $700bn, accordingto SMDF estimates; but limited capitalinjections, inadequate geo-mapping tools andwidespread illegal mining have left the westAfrican nation struggling to capitalise on itsreserves.Hajiya Shinkafi, CEO of SMDF tells fDi: “Wewill target all these minerals and more.Ongoing exploration efforts in Nigeria haveidentified excellent lithium prospects that wewill look to support.”Ongoing exploration efforts in Nigeria haveidentified excellent lithium prospects that wewill look to support.Hajiya Shinkafi, CEO at SMDF: "One of the keyissues stalling the sector’s growth is the lackof sophisticated geo-scientific data gatheringtools. For decades, corporations have largelyrelied on illegal mining activities to gatherinformation on the types, quantities andlocations of minerals available."“Historically, it’s actually been one of themain pathfinders for a lot of junior miningcompanies to make these discoveries,” saysHard work:Nigeria’sresource-richregions havelong beenexploitedby illegalminingoperations.Image viaMercuryBloombergSegun Lawson, CEO at Thor Explorations — aCanada-listed mining firm that heads AFC’sflagship gold mine project in Nigeria.“These illegal miners are mining at a muchsmaller scale with rudimentary methods,and then larger corporations are followingoff the backs of these small discoveries,” headds. Illegal mining caused an outbreak oflead poisoning in 2010 that affected 18,000people and killed at least 200 children,according to a report by the UN. Unfazedby its risks, artisanal miners continue todominate mining activities in Nigeria’s northwesternregions. “However, if you look acrosswest Africa there are a lot of artisanal andillegal mining, it’s not just unique to Nigeria,”Mr Lawson says.Reports of banditry and insurgencies acrossseveral mining areas, including Nigeria’sstates of Zamfara and Kaduna, have alsodiscouraged foreign investors. In November2022, a local terror group threatened toattack a gold mine in the Bukuyum localgovernment area of Zamfara after minersrefused to pay a 10% levy.During a local interview conducted lastmonth, Nigeria’s minister of mines and steeldevelopment admitted that “we do not havethe resources to pre-empt all these illegalactivities because Nigeria is vast”.Instead, the government has turned its focuson data gathering projects to add legitimacyto the sector. Osam Iyahen, senior director andhead of natural resources at AFC, tells fDi that“the Nigerian government has taken stepsto enable a more accurate delineation of thetypes and quantities of minerals available bytapping into a funding programme with theWorld Bank to advance airborne geo-mappingexercises”.The Nigerian government is also supportinga large number of infrastructure initiatives tobuild transportation links for the movementof equipment to mining sites and theevacuation of minerals for sale and export.Prior to AFC’s partnership with SMDF, thedevelopment institution collaborated withThor Explorations to finance the SegilolaGold Mine. The mine is currently Nigeria’smost advanced gold project after achievingcommercial production in 2021.The company’s CEO hopes that its success willcatalyse foreign investments into the country,but acknowledges the challenges that miningprojects face.“Statistically speaking, the number ofconversions from an exploration licenseto a discovery is very low. Then from anexploration to an operation license, thatnumber is even lower,” says Mr Lawson.However, he adds: “Consistent exploration andmore success stories will only lead to furthergrowth in the sector.”www.africasurveyorsonline.comJanuary-February issue l 2023 33
Page 1 and 2: January-February 2023 Volume 5 issu
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTSContentsCurrent IssueIn thi
Page 5 and 6: NEWS BRIEFSMicrosoft, JKUAT partner
Page 7 and 8: DriX Unmanned Surface Vehicle takes
Page 9 and 10: EVENTSSubsea Technology EasternMedi
Page 11 and 12: Trimble launches Tekla 2023 structu
Page 13 and 14: OIL AND GASNigeria and Senegal sign
Page 15 and 16: ENERGYSuper ESCOs are vehicles for
Page 17 and 18: ARCHEOLOGYSurveying in Africa is cr
Page 19 and 20: COVER STORYUNDERWATER ELECTRONICSan
Page 21 and 22: AERIAL SURVEYDrone is an important
Page 23 and 24: AUTONOMOUS MARINE VEHICLEScan lead
Page 25 and 26: DRONESA Wing drone flying in Lusk I
Page 27 and 28: HEADLINESOcean Infinity Expands Rob
Page 29 and 30: A ground-penetrating radar (GPR).|i
Page 31: OPINIONwww.africasurveyorsonline.co
Page 35 and 36: UNMANNED VEHICLEimage source: Naval
Page 37 and 38: MININGIf African countrieshad bette
Page 39: Ideas to BIMin a snap!A modern, col

Africa Surveyors January-February issue 2023 digital

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