Marathon Digital Holdings Provides Update on Its Bitcoin Mining Operations in Montana

Rhea-AI Summary

Marathon Digital Holdings (NASDAQ: MARA) announced the impact of a severe storm in Hardin, MT, which left its bitcoin mining operations without power. The power facility is undergoing repairs, with expectations to restore partial operations by early July. Prior to the storm, 30,000 miners in Montana represented over 75% of Marathon's fleet, leading to a significant anticipated reduction in bitcoin production. To mitigate losses, the company has redirected 0.6 EH/s of remaining active miners to a third-party mining pool while evaluating new hosting locations.

Positive

• Initial electrical tests show most miners were not damaged by the storm.
• Redirecting miners to a third-party pool may improve bitcoin earning potential.
• Construction and installations in Texas are proceeding as planned.

Negative

• Mining operations in Montana are offline due to storm damage.
• Significant reduction in bitcoin production expected until repairs are completed.

LAS VEGAS, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA) ("Marathon" or "Company"), a leader in supporting and securing the Bitcoin ecosystem, today disclosed that, as a result of a storm that passed through Hardin, MT earlier this month, the Company’s mining operations in the region are currently without power and likely to remain offline until the damaged power generating facility can be repaired. Based on the latest inspection reports, Marathon’s miners in Montana may have sufficient power to come back online in a reduced capacity as early as the first week of July.

On Saturday, June 11, a severe storm passed through the town of Hardin, damaging several structures, including the power generating facility that supplies Marathon’s bitcoin mining operations with power. Since the storm passed, inspections to assess the damage of the power plant have been ongoing. In the past few days, Marathon received a damage assessment. According to the findings, the plant’s cooling towers are in need of repair. Initial electrical tests on Marathon’s miners have been positive, indicating that the majority of the Company’s miners were not materially damaged by the storm.

According to reports the Company has received in the past few days, the power generating station may be repaired enough for Marathon’s miners to come back online in a reduced capacity as early as the first week July. While repairs are ongoing in Montana, Marathon has pointed its remaining active miners, representing approximately 0.6 EH/s, away from the Company’s mining pool, MaraPool, and towards a third-party mining pool in order to increase the probability of earning bitcoin.

Prior to the storm, the 30,000 miners Marathon had deployed in Montana represented over 75% of the Company’s active fleet. With these miners offline, Marathon’s bitcoin production is expected to be significantly reduced until repairs to the power generating facility in Montana can be completed or until the miners can be relocated to new facilities. As announced on April 5, Marathon was already preparing to move miners from this facility to more sustainable sources of power during the third quarter of this year. The Company is currently evaluating the possibility of expediting the move of its miners from Montana to new hosting locations.

“The severe storm in Montana unexpectedly decreased our hash rate in June and presented us with a new challenge that we are actively working to overcome,” said Fred Thiel, Marathon’s chairman and CEO. “Bringing miners fully back online will take time, and we are committed to doing everything we can to rebuild our hash rate and to improve our bitcoin production. As part of that process, we have redirected our active miners, which represent approximately 0.6 exahash, to point towards a third-party mining pool, so that we can improve our probability of earning bitcoin while we work to bring the Hardin miners back online. Separate from this event, construction and installations in Texas have continued as scheduled, and given the current macro environment, our pipeline of potential new hosting arrangements remains strong. We appreciate the continued support of our shareholders as we work through this process.”

Investor Notice 
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties and forward-looking statements described under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 10, 2022 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on May 5, 2022. If any of these risks were to occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations would likely suffer. In that event, the value of our securities could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment. The risks and uncertainties we describe are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. In addition, our past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results in the future. Future changes in the network-wide mining difficulty rate or Bitcoin hash rate may also materially affect the future performance of Marathon's production of bitcoin. Additionally, all discussions of financial metrics assume mining difficulty rates as of June 2022. The total network’s hash rate data is calculated from a third-party source, which is available here: https://www.blockchain.com/charts/hash-rate. Data from third-party sources has not been independently verified. See "Forward-Looking Statements" below. 

Forward-Looking Statements 
Statements made in this press release include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “plan,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties, many of which the Company cannot predict with accuracy and some of which the Company might not even anticipate and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and are advised to consider the factors listed above together with the additional factors under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as may be supplemented or amended by the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events, new information or otherwise. 
  
About Marathon Digital Holdings 
Marathon is a digital asset technology company that focuses on supporting and securing the Bitcoin ecosystem. The Company is currently in the process of becoming one of the largest and most sustainably powered Bitcoin mining operations in North America, while remaining asset light.

Marathon Digital Holdings Company Contact: 
Telephone: 800-804-1690
Email: ir@marathondh.com

FAQ

What caused Marathon Digital's mining operations to go offline in June 2022?

A severe storm in Hardin, MT, damaged the power generating facility supplying Marathon's bitcoin mining operations.

When is Marathon Digital expecting to resume mining operations in Montana?

Marathon Digital expects to resume mining operations in a reduced capacity by the first week of July 2022.

How much of Marathon Digital's mining capacity was affected by the storm?

The storm affected over 75% of Marathon's active fleet, which consisted of 30,000 miners in Montana.

What steps is Marathon Digital taking to mitigate bitcoin production loss?

The company has redirected its remaining active miners, representing approximately 0.6 EH/s, to a third-party mining pool.

How is Marathon Digital's construction in Texas related to the storm impact?

Despite the storm's impact in Montana, Marathon Digital stated that construction and installations in Texas are continuing as scheduled.