Elon Musk xAI powering facility in Memphis with ‘illegal’ generators
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Community advocates in Memphis demanded action after it was revealed that Elon Musk’s xAI is operating 35 unpermitted gas turbines near residential neighborhoods, emitting toxic pollutants, bypassing regulations, and building what critics call an unregulated power plant.
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Elon Musk's xAI facility, which houses supercomputer Project Colossus, is seen in Memphis, Tennessee, on August 22, 2024. (WikiCommons)
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners in Memphis, Tennessee, had a meeting on Wednesday morning, as a small group of people present at the meeting held signs reading “Our air = our lives” and “Our water, Our future.” KeShaun Pearson, director of the advocacy group Memphis Community Against Pollution, addressed the board.
“I’m here because today we’ve learned that xAI is using 35 methane gas-burning turbines,” he said. “They have submitted a permit to our Shelby County Health Department for 15, yet they are using double that amount with no permit.”
Reports previously revealed that xAI—Elon Musk’s AI company—had deployed up to 15 portable generators to help power its large-scale supercomputer facility in Memphis. However, updated aerial imagery obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center reveals that the number is significantly higher. According to the group, the combined output of the turbines is around 420 megawatts—enough to supply electricity to an entire city.
“xAI has essentially built a power plant in South Memphis with no oversight, no permitting, and no regard for families living in nearby communities,” said Amanda Garcia, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, in a statement. “These dozens of gas turbines are doing significant harm to the air Memphians breathe every day.”
The law center described the 35 turbines as “illegal” and labeled them a “major source of air pollution” in a letter sent Wednesday to the Shelby County Health Department. The organization argued that the generators exceed legal emission thresholds under the Clean Air Act, including limits on toxic and carcinogenic pollutants.
'Colossus'
Musk launched his xAI facility in Memphis last summer, naming its massive supercomputer “Colossus,” which powers the chatbot Grok. The structure spans the size of 13 football fields, with Musk planning to double its footprint.
AI demands huge energy loads—ChatGPT, for instance, uses nearly 10 times more electricity than a standard Google search, according to Goldman Sachs. In the US, most of that energy still comes from fossil fuels like coal and gas, key drivers of climate change.
xAI already has a deal to draw 150MW from Memphis’ utility—enough to power 100,000 homes annually—but Musk says more is needed to manage power fluctuations. The initial appearance of methane gas generators last summer sparked concern, as xAI lacked permits from the Shelby County Health Department and the EPA.
On that note, the company seems to be exploiting a loophole that lets it run gas generators without permits if they don’t stay in one place for over 364 days. In January, xAI applied for a permit for 15 units but failed to disclose the additional 20.
The Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Protection Agency, and xAI did not immediately return requests for comment.
Toxic power
According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, xAI’s generators run non-stop, emitting harmful nitrogen oxides into the air. Within a one- to two-mile radius of the facility are residential neighborhoods that have endured decades of industrial pollution. These communities are predominantly Black and face disproportionately high rates of cancer, asthma, and reduced life expectancy compared to the rest of Memphis.
In a letter to the health department, the Law Center called for an emergency order demanding that xAI immediately stop or pause the use of the 35 generators. If the company refuses, it argues, xAI should be fined $25,000 for every day it violates the Clean Air Act.
xAI representative of AI, Brent Mayo, was scheduled to speak before the Shelby County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday but failed to appear. The commission chair stated she had sent him three emails about the meeting and that “we did not hear back from him.” A Chamber of Commerce representative collaborated with xAI on its Memphis setup and claimed the company never received the emails.
Community members, including KeShaun Pearson, attended and voiced strong opposition to xAI’s expanding generator use and its environmental impact. Pearson, who lives near the facility, shared that both his grandmothers died of cancer in their 60s—deaths he attributes to pollution from the industrial zone.
“Nobody else should be burying their families because these rogue, rich, white, racist people continue to build projects that are suffocating us,” Pearson said. “This is all preventable.”
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