El Salvador has started mining bitcoin with volcanos

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Quick Take

  • El Salvador has mined some bitcoin using geothermal energy, according to its president.
  • The set up is still being tested and installed but some bitcoin is already trickling in.

El Salvador has officially started using volcanos to mine bitcoin, according to its president Nayib Bukele. So far, it has mined 0.0059 BTC, worth $260.

"We’re still testing and installing, but this is officially the first Bitcoin mining from the volcanode," tweeted Bukele, providing a breakdown of the mining rewards so far.

The breakdown of the rewards so far. Image: Nayib Bukele.

The bitcoin is being mined using geothermal energy generated by volcanos in the region. The country heavily relies on geothermal energy and is one of the top producers of it in the world.

This comes after Bukele tweeted a video on September 28, which showed mining rigs being delivered and set up in the facility in El Salvador. In the video you could see ASIC miners being installed and plugged in.

Last month, El Salvador became the first country to make bitcoin legal tender. It has also created the Chivo wallet for citizens to access the Bitcoin network and make payments. It gave out $30 of bitcoin to anyone who signed up.

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© 2025 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

AUTHOR

Tim Copeland is the Head of Growth at The Block and host of The Crypto Beat, a live-streaming podcast. He was previously the company's Editor-in-Chief and spent seven years covering the industry as a journalist. Prior to joining The Block, Tim was a news editor at Decrypt. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of York and studied news journalism at Press Association Training. Follow him on X @Timccopeland.

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