CoinDesk Podcast Network

The Blockspace Pod: Big Oil Wants Dollars, Not Bitcoin w/ Chris Alfano

Chris Alfano, CEO of 360 Energy, joins the podcast to discuss how Bitcoin mining is solving oil and gas problems. Learn about the reality of hash price aversion among energy giants, the move toward pipeline-scale mining, and why off-grid power is the ultimate goal for sustainable operations.

Feb 17, 2026
Listen or watch all the new CoinDesk podcast episodes wherever you want.
Cast BoxiHeartiTunesPocket CastsRSSRadio PublicSpotify

ABOUT

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin.

Chris Alfano, CEO of 360 Energy, joins us to talk about the integration of Bitcoin mining and oil & gas. We discuss the recent investment from Halliburton and what it signals for the industry. Chris explains why major oil companies prefer giving away waste gas for free over taking hash price exposure, the technical challenges of dirty fuel gas, and the shift from individual wellheads to large-scale pipeline deployments.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

* Hash price hit all-time low of $29/PH/day.

* China ban cut 80% of global hash rate.

* 5 of last 6 difficulty adjustments negative.

* AI infrastructure costs $10-$15M per megawatt.

* Bitcoin price dropped to $65,000 level.

* Sub-50 MW sites are the new frontier.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

03:22 AI boom & China mining ban

08:30 What edge do miners have over hyperscalers?

13:23 Energy production limits

21:23 Small scale HPC

24:23 Batteries

35:46 Secondary effects

36:51 Pleb miners

39:55 IS US mining doomed?

45:57 Powershell vs Neocloud

👉CleanSpark, America's Bitcoin Miner!

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world.

Published thrice weekly, "The Blockspace Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish twos per week, on Tuesday and Thursday, plus our News Roundup on Saturdays!


The blockspace pod big oil wants dollars not bitcoin w chris alfano | Latest Cryptocurrency News, Bitcoin & Crypto Updates 2026