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 supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise and investigative reporter who focuses on local government and politics. A native Rhode Islander who lives in Midtown, he enjoys tennis, golf and reading.
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.