MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Health Department has approved a permit for xAI to operate 15 natural gas turbines as secondary emergency power backups, the Greater Memphis Chamber said Wednesday.
The company immediately released a statement:
“xAI welcomes today’s decision by the Shelby County Health Department. Our onsite power generation will be equipped with state-of-the-art emissions control technology, making this facility the lowest emitting of its kind in the country. We look forward to being a valued partner to the Memphis Community for years to come.”
Elon Musk’s xAI had stoked controversy when it began operating the turbines to provide power to its Colossus supercomputer in southwest Memphis. Environmental advocates have claimed that the turbines would add to air pollution in Memphis and the Boxtown neighborhood.
They pushed the Shelby County Health Department to deny the company permits to operate the turbines.
The city commissioned a study recently that found no elevated pollution levels near the site, though the Southern Environmental Law Center said the tests were flawed because they did not measure ozone levels.
Ted Townsend with the Memphis Chamber said the turbines exceeded federal clean air regulations and will serve only as a secondary backup to xAI’s primary backup power source, an advanced battery pack system.
“It’s unfortunate that some have chosen to spread misinformation about this project rather than engaging with the actual environmental data,” added Townsend. “The facts speak for themselves – these turbines utilize technology that exceeds federal environmental standards by a substantial margin, making them among the cleanest backup power solutions available.”
Tennessee Representative, Justin J. Pearson said in a virtual presser:
“We are deeply disappointed in the decision by the Shelby County Health Department to approve xAI for the use of 15 permanent gas turbines.
This decision neglects the input of over 1,000 constituents of Shelby County who have expressed a need for the health department to prioritize the need for us to breathe clean air. Clean air is a human right, and the perpetuation of corporations’ ability to pollute our air in ways they have been doing and with the consent of the health department is wrong.”
Pearson said that xAI has illegally polluted the neighborhood where he and his family live because of the lack of enforcement by the Shelby County Health Department, Mayor Lee Harris, and people who should be protecting the air quality in the community.
He said, according to satellite imaging, there were 24 gas turbines shown at the facility and not 15 that were approved on Wednesday.
Pearson said he has not reached out to Mayor Lee Harris and Mayor Paul Young, but he wants to, to address the failing air quality in Memphis.
Pearson said they still do not know how xAI will power their new facility in Whitehaven, and it seems possible they will be using gas turbines at their new facility.
“Our community does not want to continuously be seen as the dumping ground for corporations. We want to receive the same protections that other communities get without ever having to ask for,” said Pearson.
Pearson said next week they are gathering for a public comment against the Tennessee Valley Authority’s proposed gas turbines.
The Shelby County Health Department did not immediately release a statement on the permit Wednesday, but did issue a Code Orange ozone alert for the Memphis metro area for Thursday.
