Pakistan Taps Surplus Energy for Bitcoin Mining and Carbon Credits

Pakistan is exploring two distinct energy initiatives: one focused on capturing methane from massive landfills and another on mining Bitcoin using surplus electricity from underused coal-fired power plants.

The Pakistan Crypto Council, led by Bilal Bin Saqib, announced plans to allocate roughly 2,000 MW of excess electricity for Bitcoin mining and AI data center operations in May 2025. This power comes from coal-fired plants currently operating at approximately 15% capacity, meaning the country is paying to maintain generation infrastructure that mostly sits idle.

Separately, Pakistani authorities have been advancing methane capture projects at major landfill sites. The most prominent is the Mehmood Booti dumpsite, a 43-acre site that has accumulated approximately 13 million tons of waste since 1997. An investment of roughly Rs5 billion (approximately $17.86 million) is going toward methane capture, flaring, energy conversion, leachate treatment, urban forestry, and solar park construction at the site.

The project aims to generate around 100,000 tons of carbon credits annually, with target revenue exceeding Rs2 billion per year. Another site, Lakhodair, is focused on generating millions of carbon credits aligned with Article 6 carbon market frameworks. These projects’ primary objective is carbon credit generation and emissions reduction, not powering crypto operations.