Recently, xAI, a company located near Memphis, Tennessee, has been sued for operating up to 35 natural gas turbines at its Colossus data center without proper authorization. According to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), the company installed and operated at least 35 combustion turbines and other emission sources over the past year without ever obtaining the necessary air emission pre-construction or operational permits.

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The legal group noted in a notification sent on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that xAI violated the Clean Air Act, which requires 60 days' advance notice before litigation. According to SELC estimates, these turbines could emit more than 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) annually, a chemical substance that contributes to smog formation.

The air quality in the Memphis area is already poor, and in 2024, it was rated as a national asthma hotspot by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, with high rates of emergency room visits and asthma-related deaths. SELC pointed out that xAI not only failed to obtain the required federal and local regulatory permits but also did not take appropriate air pollution control measures during turbine operation. Previously, the total power generation capacity of xAI's turbines reached 421 megawatts.

Last summer, the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) told the media that xAI's turbines were exempt from permit requirements, but SCHD did not publicly disclose the specific details of xAI's operations on its premises or the legal basis. To understand the actual situation at the Colossus site, SELC hired an aerial photographer to photograph the facility in March. The photos showed that xAI had installed 35 turbines around the data center at that time, and a thermal imaging map taken in April showed that at least 33 of them were operational.

After these images were taken, the Memphis Chamber of Commerce stated that xAI had dismantled some of the turbines. "The temporary natural gas turbines used to power the first phase of GPUs are being removed and will be removed within the next two months. About half of the turbines will continue to be used after the completion of the second substation, where they will serve as backup power." However, an aerial photo on June 15 showed that at least 26 turbines were still operational, including three newly installed since April, with a total power generation capacity still around 407 megawatts, just 14 megawatts away from the previous capacity.

SELC said, "In Tennessee, there are virtually no exceptions to the new source standards and other air pollutants, and prior construction air permits as well as operational and pollutant emission permits must be obtained."

Key points:

🌬️ xAI faces litigation from SELC for operating natural gas turbines at the Colossus data center without proper air permits.  

🏭 The turbines could emit more than 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides annually, further worsening the already poor air quality in Memphis.  

📸 Through aerial photography, SELC confirmed the number of operational turbines and their power generation capacity at xAI, highlighting compliance issues.