xAI Agrees to Remove 69 Unpermitted Turbines by 2027 as Memphis Backlash Spreads
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Aug 2
xAI Agrees to Remove 69 Unpermitted Turbines by 2027 as Memphis Backlash Spreads
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Aug 2
Summary
xAI said it will start removing unpermitted turbines at its Mississippi power site as early as August and finish by July 2027, while adding emission controls to remaining units.
The move follows pressure over 69 methane-gas turbines powering Colossus 2, most without typical Clean Air Act controls, which environmental groups say could emit more than 2,500 tons of smog-forming pollution a year.
Justin Pearson, a Memphis state lawmaker and congressional candidate, has become a leading face of that fight, arguing xAI’s South Memphis buildout is worsening asthma and other respiratory risks in a heavily Black community.
The dispute has widened beyond Memphis: seven in 10 Americans oppose nearby data centers in a March Gallup poll, and at least 75 projects worth $130 billion were disrupted by local opposition in early 2026.
xAI and its allies still frame the facilities as part of an AI and national-security race, after the Justice Department backed continued turbine use in court and local boosters touted the centers’ speed, jobs and tax revenue.