Leveraging Surplus Electricity: Profitability of Bitcoin Mining as a National Strategy in South Korea

This study examines the feasibility and profitability of utilizing surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining. Surplus electricity refers to the remaining electricity after net metering, which can be repurposed for Bitcoin mining to improve Korea Electric Power Corporation's (KEPCO) energy resource efficiency and alleviate its debt challenges. Net metering (or net energy metering) is an electricity billing mechanism that allows consumers who generate some or all of their own electricity to use that electricity when they want, rather than when it is produced. Using the latest Bitcoin miner, the Antminer S21 XP Hyd, the study evaluates daily Bitcoin mining when operating at 30,565 and 45,439 units, incorporating Bitcoin network hash rates to assess profitability. To examine profitability, the Random Forest Regressor and Long Short-Term Memory models were used to predict the Bitcoin price. The analysis shows that the use of excess electricity for Bitcoin mining not only generates economic revenue, but also minimizes energy loss, reduces debt, and resolves unsettled payment issues for KEPCO. This study empirically investigates and analyzes the integration of electricity surplus in South Korea with bitcoin mining for the first time. The findings highlight the potential to strengthen the financial stability of KEPCO and demonstrate the feasibility of Bitcoin mining. In addition, this research serves as a foundational resource for future advancements in the Bitcoin mining industry and the efficient use of energy resources.