A health department in Memphis has approved an air permit for Elon Musk’s xAI data center, allowing the operation of gas turbines that power its Grok chatbot. This decision comes despite significant community opposition and impending legal action from civil rights groups claiming the company violated the Clean Air Act.
The Shelby County Health Department issued the permit on a Wednesday after considering hundreds of public comments. This development was initially reported by the Daily Memphian.
In June, xAI announced its plans to establish a site in Memphis for its new supercomputer, dubbed Colossus, which was constructed in just 122 days. This rapid development was facilitated by the installation of mobile gas turbines on a site that was previously an industrial facility.
Utilizing 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, Colossus is claimed to be the largest supercomputer globally, propelling xAI to compete with established players like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.
However, the Memphis campus is located in Boxtown, a primarily Black community historically burdened by industrial projects that contribute to pollution. Gas turbines emit harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, which lead to smog. Memphis already faces high rates of childhood asthma. Residents have expressed their concerns through rallies and community meetings.
KeShaun Pearson, leader of Memphis Community Against Pollution, voiced frustration over the approval, stating, “…the flagrant violation of the Clean Air Act…has been stamped as permissible by the Shelby County Health Department.” Over 1,000 public comments urging environmental protection were reportedly dismissed.
According to the Clean Air Act, major sources of emissions are required to obtain Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permits. However, health department officials previously claimed that xAI’s turbines did not necessitate a permit because they were intended as temporary fixtures. Following rising local opposition, xAI applied for the permit in January, months after beginning turbine operations.
The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) recently announced their intentions to sue xAI over the alleged Clean Air Act violations. SELC senior attorney Patrick Anderson stated, “xAI’s decision to install and operate dozens of polluting gas turbines without any permits or public oversight is a clear violation of the Clean Air Act.”
The newly issued permit allows xAI to operate 15 turbines until 2027. However, Memphis Mayor Paul Young indicated that xAI was managing 21 turbines as of late June, while the SELC claims that aerial footage shows as many as 35 in operation at the site.
Activists, prepared to challenge the health department’s decision, asserted their readiness to appeal. Pearson emphasized community mobilization against the approval, saying, “The people are awake and ready to fight back.”
In May, Sharon Wilson, a certified optical gas imaging thermographer, visited Memphis to film emissions from the site and described witnessing a dense cloud of pollution, far exceeding her expectations for typical power plant emissions.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
