Utility work begins at Somerville Bitcoin mining site despite moratorium

SOMERVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Despite constant pushback and a moratorium, plans to build a Bitcoin mining center are moving forward.

VoltCore has begun utility work at the site of a planned Bitcoin mining center in Somerville, with flags placed in yards along Union Road marking routes for water, gas, and AT&T service lines — even as a county moratorium remains in place.

Morgan County Commission Chairman Ray Long told WAFF 48 the year-long moratorium, put in place in June, was intended to send a message to VoltCore but carries no enforcement power.

Long said Morgan County has no legal authority to stop the project.

Exactly two months ago, VoltCore representatives visited Somerville to notify nearby homeowners of their plans. Since then, they’ve asked all of them to grant their easement request to conduct utility work, but none have said yes.

The company’s last option was to go to the county engineer and try to run its utility lines through the county’s right of way. Chairman Long said they didn’t have any power to say no to that either.

“We can’t keep them from doing anything right now because there’s no laws at all in Morgan County in rural areas,” Long said. “There’s no zoning, there’s none of that, so we really don’t have anything to stand on other than what we can say is, ‘We really wish you wouldn’t do it.’”