SpaceX power plant caused local emissions to jump, study finds
Natural gas turbines at SpaceX's Mississippi power plant as seen from across the street July 29, 2026. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
A study based on satellite imagery and public records from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality estimates that SpaceX’s new power plant in Southaven, Mississippi, caused air emissions to increase over the past year.
According to the study, the private power plant MDEQ allowed SpaceX to build — without air emissions permits — could have emitted smog-causing chemicals at a rate clearly detectable by satellite technology and therefore could have significantly contributed to local air emissions.
The power plant at 2875 Stanton Road in Southaven provides essential electricity to the company’s nearby data centers in Memphis and Mississippi, which SpaceX, the federal government, and other technology giants use.
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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.
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