Sorry for my ignorance but…can’t this be turned into an energy source?
Practically, it's in the middle of nowhere. It has a clearly non-optimal shape for a boiler. You'd need to setup lots of piping and a steam turbine on potentially unstable ground. Since it's in the desert, there's no large body of water around so you would use a closed cycle system, meaning you need to turn steam back to liquid after you're done, limiting net power output. All to end up collecting a minor fraction of the energy, to send it... where?
> the ocean might be pretty far away
That, sir, would be an understatement.
The nearby Aral Sea has been pumped dry, and the Caspian sea is dropping at 7cm/year though: https://theconversation.com/the-caspian-sea-is-set-to-fall-b...
I mean, it’s literally a complete waste right now, the Bitcoin infra might eventually become developed enough to complete cover the crater. Then you could potentially extinguish it and sell the gas.
What am I missing here?
It would still be a complete waste.
Also all the work needed to set the plan in motion would probably be more expensive than just buying energy in a more convenient location.