The Nevada-based miner has been working to establish a 50-acre data center off Highway 421, near the Johnson County Community Hospital. However, the plan has faced pushback from Mountain City residents, who cite concerns about noise pollution and potential disruption to the town’s rural environment. Critics point to the loud industrial fans commonly associated with traditional Bitcoin mining facilities.

CleanSpark first announced plans to expand into Tennessee earlier this year, acquiring two sites in the state through its $19.8 million purchase of GRIID Infrastructure’s assets in April. One of the two locations includes the proposed Mountain City site, which CleanSpark said would be retrofitted into a 50-megawatt mining facility using immersion cooling technology.