Engie eyes Bitcoin mining at Brazil solar plant

Engie is evaluating the addition of battery storage systems or bitcoin mining data centres at its 895-megawatt Assu Sol solar plant in Brazil to mitigate curtailment losses and improve project economics, according to Reuters.

Eduardo Sattamini, Engie’s country manager in Brazil, said the company is assessing potential “offtakers” capable of absorbing excess generation from what is the largest solar project in Engie’s global portfolio.

“That’s not coming next month,”

Sattamini said, adding that any such initiative “will take a couple of years for us to implement.”

Assu Sol, located in Brazil’s northeast, recently entered full commercial operation but has already faced grid-imposed curtailments as renewable supply outpaces demand, forcing operators to scale back output.

Curtailment has intensified across Brazil since 2023 due to rapid renewable buildout, transmission bottlenecks and weak demand growth, resulting in significant revenue losses for solar and wind producers.

Deploying on-site bitcoin mining would allow Engie to monetise stranded electricity by converting surplus power into digital assets, though the strategy comes as several miners pivot towards artificial intelligence workloads.

Companies such as Bitfarms, IREN and Bitdeer Technologies have begun reallocating infrastructure towards AI-focused data centres, reflecting broader shifts in economics across energy-intensive digital industries.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $63,282.89.