The roar of the Zambezi River is deafening as millions of gallons of water crash over rocks and rush down rapids.

But another sound cuts through the trees of the Zambian bush – the high-pitched hum of a Bitcoin mine.

“It’s the sound of money!” says Philip Walton, smiling as he observes a shipping container filled with 120 computers working tirelessly on complex calculations to verify Bitcoin transactions.

In return, the system automatically rewards them with Bitcoin.

We are in the far northwestern corner of Zambia, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Of all the Bitcoin mines I have visited, this one is the most unusual.

Water and electronic equipment usually don’t mix well, but it is precisely the proximity to the river that has attracted crypto miners here.

Philip’s mining facility is directly connected to a hydroelectric power plant that channels some of the Zambezi’s torrent through massive turbines, generating a constant flow of clean electricity.

More importantly for Bitcoin mining—it’s cheap.

So cheap that it made financial sense for Philip’s Kenya-based company, Gridless, to transport a shipping container filled with delicate Bitcoin-mining computers 14 hours from the nearest major city to set up operations here.

Each machine earns about $5 per day. If Bitcoin’s price rises, the earnings increase; if it drops, they decrease.

Philip occasionally glances at his smartwatch, which displays Bitcoin’s ever-changing price fluctuations.

At the moment, it hovers around $80,000 per coin, but Philip says they can remain profitable even when Bitcoin’s value falls, thanks to low electricity costs and a revenue-sharing agreement with the power company.

“We realized that to improve mining economics, we needed to partner with the local power company and share the revenue. The reason we are willing to come to such a remote location is that it allows us to get cheaper power,” he explains.

A Power Plant’s Unexpected Ally

The Zengamina hydroelectric plant is enormous but technically classified as a mini-grid—an independent power source for the local community.

It was built in the early 2000s with the help of $3 million in charitable donations.

British-Zambian Daniel Rea runs the plant, following in the footsteps of his missionary family, which spearheaded the project to power a local hospital.

Now, it supplies electricity to about 15,000 people in the area, but financial difficulties arose due to the slow adoption of electricity by the local community.

Allowing Bitcoin miners to operate here has transformed the business.

“Every day, we wasted over half of the energy we could generate, which meant we weren’t earning enough to cover our operating expenses. We needed a major power consumer in the area, and that’s where our game-changing partnership with Gridless came in,” Daniel explains.

Now, the Bitcoin mine accounts for about 30% of the plant’s revenue, allowing the company to keep electricity prices affordable for the local town.

A Town Transformed by Electricity

Bitcoin and its financial model are far from the minds of Zengamina’s residents.

The town itself, located a few miles from the plant, consists of just a few dozen modest buildings scattered around a crossroads.

Only one shop has a fridge, and a group of children gathers around a communal computer, taking turns selecting songs to play at full volume, making adults wince as they go about their day.

Although the hydroelectric plant was operational by 2007, it took years to connect it to the town and even longer to link individual homes and businesses.

For some, like barber Damian, electricity is still a novelty, as he only got connected a year and a half ago.

“Before I had power, I had nothing. I couldn’t do anything. When I finally got electricity, I bought everything at once!” he says, laughing.

He’s not joking. At night, his tiny barbershop glows like a beacon—TV screens play music videos, Christmas lights twinkle, and the steady buzz of clippers fills the air.

Young people gather in his shop like a social hub, drawn to the light and energy.

“Electricity has changed my life,” Damian smiles. “The money I earn from the barbershop helps me pay for school fees again.”

For Damian, electricity is strictly a business tool. At home, he and his family share a single lightbulb between two small rooms.

Elsewhere, sisters Tumba and Lucy Machayi sit at the crossroads, watching life unfold around them.

Like many young people, they are glued to their smartphones.

“Before the town got power, it was basically just wilderness,” Lucy recalls.

They used to rely on small solar panels for minimal energy.

“No fridge, no TV, no mobile network,” Tumba adds.

“Electricity completely changed life here,” Lucy continues. “Now, we can charge our phones and stay connected.”

Most residents know little about the Bitcoin mine that has helped sustain their electricity supply.

A Changing Future for Zengamina

But soon, they will watch as the shipping container full of mining equipment is once again transported through town—to a new location.

Zengamina Hydro has secured a major investment to expand its network, bringing electricity to more villages and integrating with the national grid.

Once this happens, selling excess energy to the national grid will be more profitable than mining Bitcoin, making the operation unsustainable for the miners.

Philip and his team are not disappointed by this—they see it as a success story.

They have enjoyed a profitable few years and helped support Zengamina while earning Bitcoin.

The company believes there are plenty of other places with underutilized energy where they can relocate their mining operation.

Gridless already operates six similar sites across three African countries.

North of Zengamina, another Bitcoin mine utilizes excess energy from a hydroelectric plant in Virunga National Park, DR Congo, where profits help fund wildlife conservation efforts.

But Gridless has even bigger plans—building its own hydroelectric plants from scratch to power Bitcoin mining and electrify rural areas.

Co-founder Janet Maingi says the company is raising tens of millions of dollars for the project.

They are focusing on run-of-river hydroelectric models, similar to Zengamina’s, leveraging Africa’s vast untapped hydropower potential.

“A consumer-driven, adaptive energy model is essential for scalable, affordable, and sustainable electricity access in African communities,” she explains.

The Controversy Around Bitcoin Mining

Gridless is not a charity. The company firmly believes that ensuring long-term financial viability for developers and investors is only possible through Bitcoin.

Finding new locations for mining is the easy part.

The real challenge is regulatory resistance. Some authorities and energy companies see Bitcoin as a wasteful, energy-hungry industry that deprives local people of electricity.

But Gridless argues that the market always prioritizes the highest bidder, and that will always be the local community.

History has shown that large-scale Bitcoin mining can strain public energy grids if not properly regulated.

For example, during Kazakhstan’s Bitcoin boom in 2020–2021, national energy consumption rose by 7%, prompting the government to crack down on the industry.

In the United States, conflicts between Bitcoin miners and local communities frequently arise when electricity demand surges.

To balance the grid, some mining companies have agreements to power down operations during peak times.

For example, in New York, the Greenidge gas power plant, which was repurposed for Bitcoin mining, was required to shut down its mining operations during a winter energy crisis to supply power to households.

Similar agreements will be essential if the U.S. pursues former President Donald Trump’s vision of making Bitcoin “mined, minted, and made in America.”

Bitcoin Mining: A Sustainable Future?

Bitcoin mining consumes as much electricity as a small country like Poland.

However, according to Cambridge University research, the industry is shifting towards a more sustainable energy mix.

Operations like Zengamina’s may be a small part of the bigger picture, but they are a rare example of a controversial industry bringing real benefits beyond digital coins.