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County regulators have given xAI the green light to operate 15 natural gas turbines at its data center near Memphis. Despite the looming threat of a lawsuit, the company is moving forward with its plans.
### Legal Battles and Permits
Elon Musk’s AI company has been running up to 35 generators without permits, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). These generators have the capacity to produce a whopping 421 megawatts of electricity. The SELC has vowed to sue xAI for Clean Air Act violations on behalf of the NAACP.
### Funding and Permits
Recently, the company secured $10 billion in funding, half in debt and half in equity. With the permit issued by the Shelby County Health Department, xAI can now operate 15 Solar SMT-130 generators with specific emissions controls, capable of generating up to 247 megawatts. Despite already running eight of the same model without permits, the SELC confirmed that these have the necessary pollution controls in place.
### Environmental Concerns and Testing
Under the permit conditions, xAI is allowed to emit significant levels of pollution over a rolling 12-month period. This includes pollutants like smog-forming NOx, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, particulate pollution, and hazardous air pollutants such as formaldehyde. The company is required to maintain records of its emissions.
Before the permits were issued, a Memphis community group had funds set aside for an independent air quality study. The City of Memphis conducted its own air quality tests, but the SELC raised issues regarding the testing methodology.
Despite the challenges and legal battles, xAI is pushing forward with its plans for the data center in Memphis. Let’s see how this unfolds in the future.
