Zcash miner Fortitude launched its first self-built 12 MW facility in Nebraska, targeting a drop in direct ZEC mining costs from ~$70 to ~$40 per coin.
Crypto Mining News
Fortitude, a Zcash (ZEC) mining company owned by Digital Currency Group, brought a new facility online in Grand Island, Nebraska, on July 28. The 12-megawatt site is the company's first self-developed mining facility, built from the ground up rather than leased from a third-party operator. Its completion pushes Fortitude's owned power capacity above 60 megawatts across seven locations in five states.
The facility has passed construction and electrical testing. It is now ready for commercial mining operations. Fortitude said the site is expected to cut its direct cash cost of mining ZEC from roughly $70 per coin to approximately $40 per coin. The company stated those estimates assume stable electricity, network, and market conditions after full equipment deployment.
Power Costs and Site Design Drive Savings
Two factors are projected to produce the cost reduction. The first is lower-cost electricity from owned infrastructure, priced at approximately $0.045 per kilowatt-hour. The second is more efficient next-generation mining hardware that processes work faster than older equipment. The facility sits between two solar generation installations and next to a substation with excess capacity. That configuration allows it to operate as an interruptible load, pulling back electricity consumption during periods of peak grid demand and participating in demand response programs.
Grand Island officials said the facility was designed to function as a flexible grid resource. They added that it was built to limit its impact on the surrounding community. CEO Andrea Childs said owning the site directly, rather than leasing from a third party, gives the company control over its power costs and operational decisions.
Merger Plans and the Long-Term Bet on Zcash
Fortitude announced plans roughly one month ago to merge with HeartSciences, a medical technology company listed on Nasdaq under the ticker HSCS. The deal is designed to give Fortitude access to public equity markets and additional capital to expand its mining and power infrastructure. HeartSciences shares fell more than 7% on July 28 and have given back more than half the gains recorded after the merger was announced. Childs has stated the transaction is intended to fund mining growth, not to shift the company into a digital asset treasury strategy.
Fortitude launched in January 2025 out of Digital Currency Group's Foundry mining division. It initially mined Bitcoin (BTC) and other proof-of-work cryptocurrencies before narrowing its focus to Zcash. Digital Currency Group founder Barry Silbert has previously said he believes ZEC could eventually reach 5% to 10% of Bitcoin's market capitalization. Childs has echoed that view, arguing that Zcash's mining economics are less saturated than Bitcoin's and that the asset is at an earlier stage of development. ZEC traded between $460 and $468 on July 28, down about 9% on the day, while remaining more than 1,000% higher than one year earlier.
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