French energy company Engie is currently evaluating the potential to establish bitcoin mining operations or battery storage systems at its newly inaugurated Assu Sol solar facility in Brazil. This move aims to counteract the rising issue of curtailment losses and enhance the financial viability of the project, as reported by Reuters.
Eduardo Sattamini, Engie”s Brazil country manager, indicated that the company is assessing possible “offtakers” who could utilize the excess energy generated by the 895-megawatt-peak solar plant. This facility represents the largest solar project within Engie”s global portfolio. Engie, which is partly owned and controlled by the French government, is typically committed to promoting a low-carbon energy transition.
Located in northeastern Brazil, the Assu Sol plant commenced full commercial operations this month but has already been affected by grid-imposed curtailments. These restrictions, instituted to stabilize Brazil”s power grid, compel renewable energy sources to reduce output when supply surpasses demand. Since 2023, curtailment has emerged as an escalating issue for solar and wind energy producers in Brazil, due to an influx of new renewable capacity meeting sluggish demand growth, transmission bottlenecks, and a rapid increase in distributed generation, notably through rooftop solar installations.
The consequences of these curtailments have resulted in billions of reais in lost revenue across the energy sector. To address this challenge, Engie is contemplating the implementation of on-site battery storage solutions or the development of energy-intensive data centers dedicated to bitcoin mining. This strategy aims to transform otherwise wasted energy into a revenue-generating asset.
However, Sattamini emphasized that any initiatives in this direction would require several years before becoming operational. “That”s not coming next month,” he remarked. “It will take a couple of years for us to implement.”
In the broader context of the cryptocurrency landscape, many bitcoin miners are shifting their focus towards artificial intelligence (AI) as market conditions evolve. With profit margins tightening and block subsidies approaching zero, these miners are adapting their infrastructure to capitalize on the booming AI sector. Data centers originally designed for bitcoin mining are being reconfigured to support high-performance GPUs tailored for AI processing.
Leading this transformation is Bitfarms, which has publicly announced plans to phase out its bitcoin mining operations by 2026-2027 and convert its facility in Washington State into a hub for GPU-as-a-Service aimed at AI applications. This facility will feature advanced liquid-cooled Nvidia GB300 hardware, backed by a significant upgrade deal. Other mining entities, such as IREN, have secured extensive GPU cloud contracts with major technology firms like Microsoft, indicating a trend where traditional mining capabilities are being redirected towards stable AI revenue streams.
Moreover, Bitdeer Technologies has entirely divested its corporate bitcoin holdings, reporting no BTC in reserves as of February 20, following an eight-week drawdown from approximately 2,000 BTC at the end of 2025. The company is now pivoting towards AI infrastructure, deploying NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 systems in Malaysia and transitioning multiple sites from cryptocurrency mining to AI data centers.
