The Bitcoin hashrate secured by Foundry USA’s mining pool fell roughly 60% since Friday as miners across the United States curtailed operations during winter storm Fern.

Hashrate falls as miners curtail

TheMinerMag reported that Foundry’s hashrate dropped by nearly 200 exahashes per second (EH/s), and that block production temporarily slowed to about 12 minutes.

TheMinerMag said:

“Bitcoin hashrate on Foundry USA alone is down by nearly 200 exahashes per second (EH/s), or 60%, since Friday amid continued curtailment. Temporary block production has slowed down to 12 minutes.”

Despite the decline, Foundry USA still commanded about 198 EH/s, or roughly 23% of global mining pool hashrate, according to Hashrate Index.

Storm impact across the US

The curtailment also affected other mining pools serving US users, including Luxor, according to a Saturday report from TheMinerMag.

Winter storm Fern has brought snow, ice, and freezing rain across the Southeast, the Northeast, and parts of the Midwest.

The Weather Channel reported the storm could stretch about 1,800 miles, with widespread power outages impacting more than 1 million residents.

Grid balancing role

The disruptions highlighted how miners can function as a controllable load on the power grid.

During peak demand, miners can shut off machines to reduce strain, while in low-demand periods they can absorb excess electricity that would otherwise need to be dumped.

Network-level changes can also be tracked via Bitcoin network hashrate data, which reflects total computing power securing proof-of-work.

Miner economics during curtailments are often discussed alongside revenue metrics such as hash price.