Hydropower overtakes gas as Bitcoin mining power use jumps 38%

Bitcoin mining’s annualized electricity demand rose to about 190 terawatt-hours in December 2025, up 38% from 138 the in June 2024, according to preliminary research reported by theEnergyMag. Summary Bitcoin mining electricity use rose 38% to 190 TWh between June 2024 and December 2025. Hydropower became mining’s largest energy source as low-carbon power reached 59.4% of the reported mix. Only 10% of surveyed miners had already allocated power to AI or accelerated computing services. Alexander Neumueller of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance presented the figures at the Energy Investors Forum in Dallas. Cambridge expects to publish the second edition of its Digital Mining Industry Report later in 2026. The research also found that hydropower had overtaken natural gas as Bitcoin mining’s largest single energy source. Low-carbon power supplied 59.4% of the reported mining mix, up from 52.4% in the previous study. However, total estimated greenhouse-gas emissions still increased by 20%, from about 40 million to 48 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent. Hydropower takes the largest share of mining power The 2025 Cambridge Digital Mining Industry Report found that natura...