In the quiet village of Dresden on the western shore of Seneca Lake in the state of New York, the fire whistle blows like clockwork at noon every day. Residents don't mind; it's a familiar sound that blends into the rhythm of their small-town life.

But there's one noise some of the 300 villagers cannot stand: the constant mechanical droning of Greenidge Generation. This former coal-fired facility is now a natural gas "peaking plant" that supplies electricity to New York during high demand. Since 2019, it has also powered an energy-gulping bitcoin mine.

Locals say that on some days, the sound it emits is like a refrigerator humming in the background. But when the wind shifts just right, it becomes more of a roar.

Winton Buddington, who owns a home in Dresden, said "it was a nice and peaceful community" until 2017. "Then, Atlas Holdings purchased the property."

Retired nurse Beth Cain said research shows that constant noise "does affect people. It creates stress for your system," she said, adding that it's like "having tinnitus."

But the unwanted soundscape is not the only concern locals share about the plant, which also discharges hot water into the lake and emits carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Many in the community, including Yvonne Taylor, vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian, a grassroots environmental advocacy group in upstate New York, fear that Greenidge poses a threat to the broader region, whose wineries and Mennonite farms are big visitor attractions.

"[The wine and tourism industry] is our driving economic engine, and all of those jobs rely heavily on clean air and clean water for survival," Taylor said.

Large-scale crypto-mining operations such as the one in Dresden consume massive amounts of energy. They use thousands of computer servers to compete in solving mathematical problems that validate blockchain transactions.

By 2021, the Greenidge facility was generating about 44 megawatts to mine bitcoin, which is enough to power up to 40,000 homes —........

© Deutsche Welle