Pollution from Musk’s unpermitted xAI power project hits hardest in Black communities: Reuters
Reuters found the turbines could emit nearly 2,500 short tons of nitrogen oxide a year, far above a federal permit threshold.
- On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Elon Musk's company xAI installed 59 natural gas turbines near Memphis, Tennessee, to power its Colossus 2 data center without securing federal clean air permits.
- Although xAI argues the mobile units are exempt from permitting, at least 57 turbines in Southaven, Mississippi, create an unprecedented level of off-grid power generation exceeding Clean Air Act thresholds.
- Reuters analysis found the 30 turbines at Southaven could emit nearly 2,500 short tons of NOx annually, disproportionately affecting Black communities. Victoria Nelson, an independent environmental engineer formerly at EPA, warned, "additional NOx exposure could exacerbate public health issues."
- The NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center sued to halt operations in April, while the Justice Department intervened in June citing national security. Resident Ervin Laws said, "I can't do anything about it, because he's got more money than me."
- This infrastructure buildout reflects a widening environmental justice battle as AI demand surges. Parent company SpaceX plans to spend roughly $2 billion more on mobile gas turbines, potentially creating long-term pollution burdens for communities nationwide.
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xAI's illegal facilities in Tennessee are affecting African-American communities - They are illegal and unlicensed, citizens say about Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company. The post Revelations about illegal pollution from Musk's huge data center appeared first on in.gr.
xAI is running 59 unpermitted gas turbines, twice what it has admitted
Emails between regulators and xAI’s consultants put most of the turbines in Southaven, Mississippi. Within five miles on the Tennessee side, about 94% of residents are Black. Ervin Laws lives in Colonial Hills, a neighbourhood in Southaven, Mississippi, where residents say the turbines running around the clock sound like jet engines. “I can’t do anything […] This story continues at The Next Web
Pollution from Musk’s unpermitted xAI power project hits hardest in Black communities
Exploding electricity demand from AI data centers is driving companies to build off-grid power plants at a pace outstripping environmental oversight, with potentially big risks to public health.
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