Bitcoin mining energy consumption rose 38% to 190 TWh annually, with hydropower now the largest single energy source and low-carbon energy comprising 59.4% of the power mix.
Macro & Markets ·
Bitcoin mining's annual electricity consumption climbed 38% to roughly 190 TWh between June 2024 and December 2025, according to preliminary data from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance. Over the same period, the share of low-carbon energy in the mining power mix expanded from 52.4% to 59.4%, while estimated greenhouse-gas emissions rose 20% to approximately 48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.
The composition of mining's energy sources shifted notably, with hydropower displacing natural gas as the single largest power source. This shift reflects a broader trend toward renewable energy adoption within the sector, though fossil fuels and other carbon-intensive sources still account for a material portion of the mix.
The data remains preliminary and covers only through December 2025, leaving open questions about whether these trends will sustain, how mining's geographic distribution may have changed to drive the hydropower increase, and whether emissions intensity per unit of hash power improved or worsened over the period.