Permits not required for temporary xAI turbines
Gas turbines visible from 3231 Paul R. Lowry Road in Southwest Memphis help power the new xAI supercomputer. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian)
A gas main constructed by xAI during its early buildout feeds gas to the turbines.
As the gas burns, xAI’s turbines don’t have an air emissions permit, according to the Shelby County Health Department. The Environmental Protection Agency considers emissions from such turbines as sources of Hazardous Air Pollutants and a potential source of carcinogens.
The turbines aren’t designed to be permanent. Soon, xAI’s heavy electric load could be on MLGW’s electric distribution system and TVA’s electric grid.
Topics
xAI Elon Musk Subscriber Only MLGW TVAThank you for being a subscriber to The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization with a hybrid business model, we rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and miscellaneous earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.