Memphis-area regulators have approved a Clean Air Act permit for gas turbines powering Elon Musk’s AI company.
XAI first sought permits for the methane gas turbines this winter, six months after it began operating as many as 35 of the machines at its supercomputing facility in South Memphis. None of the turbines had a permit or pollution controls to limit smog-causing emissions — until now.
The Shelby County Health Department permit to operate 15 turbines was issued Wednesday over the objections of community groups and environmentalists who had argued the agency should have instead shut down xAI and fined it for operating without permits since last June. The Southern Environmental Law Center and NAACP have threatened to sue xAI over the resulting emissions. The groups now say they are “evaluating” their options.
XAI welcomed the decision, which was made just over a month after company officials met with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
