Wired reports xAI added 19 gas turbines at its Southaven data site

In short: Emails reviewed by WIRED say Elon Musk’s xAI added 19 portable natural gas turbines at its Southaven, Mississippi data center site while a Clean Air Act lawsuit continues.

What's going on

Internal emails obtained through a public records request and seen by WIRED indicate that xAI installed 19 portable natural gas turbines at its Southaven site between late March and early May. The site is known as Colossus 2. The emails were between an official at the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and a representative from Trinity Consultants.

Those additions would bring the total number of turbines operating at the site to 46, according to WIRED. A spreadsheet in the emails appears to list power output for each turbine and suggests xAI added more than 500 megawatts of gas turbine capacity since mid March. A megawatt is a measure of electrical power (like how “horsepower” measures an engine).

The expansion comes as the NAACP, along with the Southern Environmental Law Center and Earthjustice, is suing xAI. The lawsuit claims xAI has been running more than two dozen turbines without the right air permits, which the groups argue violates the Clean Air Act. WIRED reports that eight of the 19 new turbines were installed after the lawsuit was filed.

MDEQ has said portable or temporary turbines can operate for up to a year without permits under Clean Air Act rules. An MDEQ spokesperson told Mississippi Today that the turbines have emissions control technology and that the agency is evaluating when the facility can no longer add more portable turbines.

What to watch

The next key step is the court fight over whether the turbines should be shut down while the case proceeds. Regulators may also clarify whether the newly added turbines are covered by the permit MDEQ granted in March, since that point is disputed in public reporting.

Source: Wired