May Marathon Digital Holdings be in exploratory talks with Exxon Mobil and Saudi Aramco to colocate Bitcoin mining models at oilfields, immediately tapping flare-gas for energy?
Crypto Twitter thinks it’s attainable, and if confirmed, the partnership might turbocharge the size and legitimacy of gas-to-Bitcoin operations, turning waste methane right into a monetized digital asset whereas addressing ESG considerations.
Marathon inventory pumper Cryptoklepto thinks, “It’s extra doubtless than not that at the least certainly one of these eventualities performs out within the subsequent 6 to 12 months for $MARA.”
Whereas not one of the firms have formally introduced a deal, Marathon CEO Fred Thiel hinted at “discussions with among the largest power firms on this planet” on Could’s earnings name, including that “chunks of flare-gas era” will quickly come on-line the place we’re in a position to deploy our Bitcoin mining operations.
The timing aligns with Aramco’s Could 2025 announcement of 34 new MoUs with U.S. corporations and follows Exxon’s earlier pilot with Crusoe Power in North Dakota.
Pilot-Confirmed, Able to Scale
Marathon isn’t ranging from scratch. In late 2024, it launched a 25-megawatt pilot in Texas utilizing stranded shale fuel, avoiding grid competitors whereas qualifying for methane abatement credit. “The AI guys are ready to pay nearly any value for power,” Thiel advised Reuters. “Bringing crypto-mining to the uncooked energy provide lets us keep away from that combat.”
The corporate’s cellular, plug-and-play infrastructure is tailored for oilfields. These moveable modules convert in any other case flared methane into electrical energy, which is then used to mine Bitcoin, a course of that Exxon and Crusoe demonstrated at scale by diverting 18 million cubic ft of fuel per thirty days and reducing CO₂-equivalent emissions by as much as 63%.
Saudi Aramco has beforehand denied any intention to mine Bitcoin. In 2021, the corporate labeled such stories “false and inaccurate.”
Nonetheless, Marathon’s Thiel not too long ago claimed the agency has 4–5 gigawatts of extra capability, a scale that would energy tens of hundreds of mining rigs. If even a small portion have been redirected, it could surpass the entire output of many standalone crypto services.
Exxon, in the meantime, has the institutional reminiscence and knowledge from its two-year Crusoe pilot, which might make fast-tracking a brand new enterprise with Marathon much less speculative than it appears.
Why Now? A Confluence of Strain and Alternative
Behind the scenes, regulatory momentum is constructing. A U.S. methane emissions payment beneath the Inflation Discount Act kicks on this yr, pushing oil producers to seek out methods to cut back or monetize their emissions. Flare-gas mining presents a low-capex, high-upside path to compliance, notably when paired with carbon offset markets.
Additional, payments have been authorized in Texas particularly to encourage Bitcoin mining utilizing flare fuel.
On the identical time, Bitcoin miners are grappling with compressed margins following the April 2025 halving. Marathon, one of many trade’s largest listed gamers, produced 950 BTC in Could however should now aggressively pursue sub-$0.03/kWh power sources to stay aggressive. Flare-gas, as soon as a fringe power enter, might change into a post-halving lifeline.
Skepticism stays warranted. No SEC filings, public agreements, or official feedback affirm the Exxon or Aramco partnerships. Given Aramco’s previous denial, any shift in stance would doubtless contain months of allowing, infrastructure build-out, and reputational calculus.
If oil majors greenlight Bitcoin mining on the wellhead, the flare-gas dialog will shift from “can it work?” to “how briskly can it scale?” Marathon, with its turnkey modules and Wall Road footprint, could also be first in line.
What to Watch
- Public filings or MoUs from Exxon, Aramco, or Marathon confirming pilot collaborations.
- Power regulator responses to flare-gas mining amid the methane payment rollout.
- Q3 manufacturing updates: Marathon’s power prices and BTC yield per web site.
- Neighborhood pushback round noise and emissions from Marathon’s Texas flare web site.
“You’re going to seek out is a mixture of thermal, a mixture of wind, photo voltaic and a few flare fuel. It actually relies upon in the marketplace and the associate.
We’re in discussions with among the largest power firms on this planet which have a mixture of all these power sources and nuclear.
With reference to flare fuel, there are numerous fuel property around the globe which might be very relevant to this methodology…
And what I believe you’ll see us doing increasingly more sooner or later is as we proceed to work with particularly oil and fuel producers, you’ll see chunks of this flare fuel sort era come on-line in numerous components of the world the place we’re in a position to deploy our Bitcoin mining operations, as a approach to monetize that stranded fuel. And we’re tremendous enthusiastic about these alternatives.”
—Fred Thiel, Marathon CEO
This story is creating. CryptoSlate will replace as extra particulars emerge.
