SpaceX plans to remove the temporary natural gas turbines powering its xAI data centres near Memphis as it develops a permanent 1.2-gigawatt power plant. However, the company said all 69 turbines currently in use will not be removed until July 2027.
The turbines power the Colossus data centres located south of Memphis in Mississippi, near the Tennessee border. Many have been operating for several months without air permits, prompting legal action from the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Temporary Turbines Face Legal Challenge
SpaceX maintains that the existing turbines can operate without permits because they remain attached to the trailers on which they were delivered. Federal regulations generally determine permitting requirements based on a turbine’s size and use rather than whether it remains mobile.
The NAACP lawsuit alleges that the turbines violate the Clean Air Act. Environmental groups have argued that the equipment could collectively emit more than 2,000 tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides each year in a region already affected by high pollution levels.
The US Department of Justice asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit in June. Its filing described the power supply for xAI’s operations as an issue involving national, economic and energy security.
Permanent Plant Will Use 41 Turbines
Mississippi permit documents show that the planned power plant will contain 41 natural gas turbines. Their individual generating capacities will range from 16.48 megawatts to 50 megawatts, producing a combined capacity of about 1.2 gigawatts.
The new equipment appears to differ from the 69 temporary turbines currently supporting the Colossus facilities. TechCrunch reported that it could not independently confirm the models of the existing units.
SpaceX acquired xAI in February. Its official public offering prospectus lists the merger agreement between SpaceX and xAI among the company documents available for inspection.
The company also disclosed plans to purchase approximately $2.8 billion in gas turbines for its data centres over the next three years.
APR Energy Turbines May Serve Another Project
Elon Musk also acquired APR Energy earlier this year. The company specialises in temporary natural gas power systems, but archived information about its fleet indicates that its turbines differ from those approved for the permanent Colossus plant.
The available information suggests that APR Energy’s equipment is unlikely to form part of the planned 1.2-gigawatt facility. The purpose of the additional turbine fleet has not been announced.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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