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What curtailment means for a Bitcoin miner
Curtailment is a reduction in electricity consumption. A mining facility can cut some of its load or shut down more of its equipment in response to a grid instruction, a market or price signal, or its own calculation that an alternative use of its contracted power is more valuable than mining. The common thread is that the site uses less electricity during a relevant interval; the reason for doing so and how the operator is compensated can differ.
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This matters because the decision is not simply “mine” versus “stop.” Power may have a separate economic value under a contract or grid program. A miner weighs the revenue it expects to forgo by using less power against any proceeds, credits, compensation or future cost savings associated with reducing load. The comparison is specific to the miner’s arrangement and operating conditions, not a universal shutdown price.
ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, describes flexible loads as able to participate in markets or voluntarily reduce usage in response to wholesale prices. Its system manages power flow for more than 27 million Texas customers, representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load, according to an ERCOT announcement dated December 6, 2022. That figure describes ERCOT’s footprint, not the amount of mining load that curtails.
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Three ways a mining site can reduce load
“Curtailment” can describe several mechanisms that look similar from outside—a facility consumes less power—but differ in who initiates the reduction, the payment involved and whether the site must actually shut down to earn it.
| Mechanism | Who or what prompts the reduction? | Potential value to the operator | Does compensation require an actual shutdown? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual or price-driven curtailment | The operator chooses to use less power when the power’s alternative value makes that worthwhile under its arrangement. | Power resale proceeds or credits against future power costs. | The value described is tied to returning or not consuming power; terms depend on the contract. |
| Demand response or ancillary services | The site participates in an eligible program or offers capacity; a grid direction may call on it to reduce load. | Demand-response or ancillary-service compensation under the applicable program. | Not necessarily. Riot says ancillary-service compensation may be received whether or not it is called to curtail. |
| Four Coincident Peak (4CP) | The operator voluntarily reduces load during the four highest-load settlement intervals in the summer months, as described for ERCOT. | Potential credits against future transmission costs. | The value is associated with reducing load in those intervals; this is a transmission-cost mechanism, not the same as every energy-market or emergency response. |
The table distinguishes broad mechanisms, not interchangeable products with identical eligibility or terms. ERCOT’s current demand-response overview describes participation categories at a high level; the details of a miner’s opportunity depend on its program and contracts.
Manual curtailment and power credits
Riot’s 2026 Form 10-Q describes an arrangement at its Rockdale site under which the company can choose not to consume contracted power and instead sell it for credits against future power costs when economically beneficial, depending on spot prices. In its account of manual curtailment, Riot says it returns power when the prospective credits may exceed the Bitcoin mining revenue it would otherwise have earned.
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This is a power-economics decision: the site compares the expected value of mining with the value available from returning power under its own terms. It does not establish that every miner can resell power, receive credits, or do so on the same terms. Contract structure and the relevant prices matter.
Demand response and ancillary services
ERCOT’s demand-response overview says loads can participate directly by offering into markets or indirectly by voluntarily reducing energy use in response to wholesale prices. Riot’s filing describes a distinct ancillary-service arrangement: a participant bids a portion of available load, and the site must remain powered on while that capacity is available so ERCOT can direct it to power down. Riot says compensation is based on hourly power rates and the amount of load bid, and may be paid whether or not ERCOT calls the site to curtail.
That distinction helps explain why “getting paid to turn off” can be misleading. Some payments may be tied to making load available rather than to a shutdown actually occurring; other credits arise when the operator returns power. Riot reports manual-curtailment power credits separately from demand-response credits, so those categories should not be collapsed into one generic curtailment payment.
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ERCOT’s Four Coincident Peak mechanism
Riot describes 4CP as the four highest-load settlement intervals in June through September. A participant may voluntarily reduce load during those intervals to earn credits against future transmission costs. The incentive is therefore different from selling contracted energy or being compensated for ancillary-service availability. It is also specific to the Texas mechanism described in the filing; it should not be treated as a general feature of mining or as a synonym for an emergency grid shutdown.
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A practical comparison has three parts: what the mine expects to earn by consuming power, what reducing consumption can earn or save, and whether the site can meet the relevant contractual and operational requirements. There is no single threshold that applies to all miners.
- Estimate the value of continuing to mine. The operator considers the Bitcoin mining revenue it expects from the electricity used in the interval, under its current mining conditions. Riot’s stated manual-curtailment rule compares prospective power credits with the mining revenue it would otherwise have earned.
- Identify the alternative value of the power. Depending on the arrangement, this might be power resale proceeds or credits, demand-response or ancillary-service compensation, or potential future transmission-cost savings through 4CP. These are distinct value streams and should be evaluated under their own terms.
- Check what the contract and program actually permit. Fixed versus variable power terms, program eligibility, the amount of load committed, and the timing of an event all affect whether a theoretical opportunity is available to a particular site.
- Confirm the site can reduce load in the relevant interval. A program may require a specified amount of load to be available, and Riot’s description of ancillary services says the site stays powered on while its bid capacity is available for ERCOT direction. A miner cannot assume that every facility or every portion of its load can respond in every interval.
- Compare the net alternatives for that interval. If the applicable value of returning power or other compensation outweighs expected mining revenue, curtailment may make economic sense for that operator. The answer can change with spot prices, expected mining revenue, program conditions and contract terms.
For manual curtailment, Riot’s stated rule is that prospective credits must exceed the mining revenue it would otherwise earn. That is a company-specific description, not a formula that settles every case: other mechanisms may pay for availability or offer a separate future-cost benefit, and a miner’s own contract determines how those values apply.
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What Riot’s 2026 figures show—and what they do not
For the six months ended June 30, 2026, Riot Platforms reported $31.077 million in total power-curtailment credits. The company broke that amount into $28.293 million in manual-curtailment power credits and $2.784 million in demand-response power credits in its 2026 Form 10-Q.
| Riot-reported category | Amount for six months ended June 30, 2026 | What the category represents in the filing |
|---|---|---|
| Total power-curtailment credits | $31.077 million | Company-reported total for the period. |
| Manual-curtailment power credits | $28.293 million | Credits associated with manual curtailment. |
| Demand-response power credits | $2.784 million | Credits reported separately from manual-curtailment credits. |
These are Riot’s reported amounts for a six-month reporting period, not a recurring annual figure, a per-site rate or an industry benchmark. They do not show that another miner could obtain the same credits: the company’s power arrangements, program participation and operating decisions are specific to its business.
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ERCOT’s December 6, 2022 announcement also described a voluntary curtailment program for large flexible customers during peak demand. ERCOT Vice President of System Planning Woody Rickerson said: “These customers are large power users but have the flexibility and willingness to reduce their energy use quickly, if needed.” The release said the program was temporary pending longer-term rules, so it should not be used to infer the current terms for miners. ERCOT also said, “By working with these large loads during peak demand periods, we will better serve all Texans while keeping the grid reliable and resilient.” That is ERCOT’s stated rationale, not a quantified finding about reliability or consumer bills.
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Why miners may curtail even when they could keep mining
The miner is choosing between uses of electricity, not necessarily declaring that mining has stopped being profitable in general. In a particular interval, the alternative value of the power or the compensation available for load flexibility can exceed what the operator expects to earn by consuming it. The comparison is local to that interval and to the operator’s agreements.
There can also be a difference between an operator’s voluntary economic choice and a grid-directed reduction. Price response or manual curtailment reflects the operator’s decision under its terms; ancillary-service participation can involve making capacity available for a possible direction; 4CP is aimed at reducing future transmission costs during designated Texas intervals. Each can lead to lower electricity use, but the trigger and economic logic differ.
Quick Recap
Limits on what can be concluded
- ERCOT’s overview explains demand-response categories at a high level; it does not, by itself, establish one universal payment, response time or eligibility rule for every mining site.
- The December 2022 ERCOT voluntary-program announcement is historical and described a temporary program. Its terms should not be presented as current program terms.
- Riot’s filing establishes how Riot describes its own power strategy and reports its own credit amounts. It does not establish typical earnings or a general curtailment threshold for the mining sector.
- The figures cited here do not quantify the effect of curtailment on electricity bills or prove a particular grid-reliability outcome.
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