SpaceX Won’t Remove All of xAI’s Unpermitted Turbines Until 2027

SpaceX said Thursday that it plans to remove the unpermitted natural gas turbines currently powering xAI’s Colossus data centres near Memphis as it transitions to a permanent 1.2-gigawatt natural gas power plant.

However, the existing turbines will not be fully removed until July 2027.

The company said it is currently operating 69 natural gas turbines at the Colossus facilities, many of which have been running for several months.

The turbine deployment has become the subject of legal challenges brought by the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Centre, which allege the generators have been operating without the required permits.

Permit dispute continues

SpaceX acquired xAI in February and later disclosed in its IPO filing that it plans to purchase approximately $2.8 billion worth of natural gas turbines for its data centres over the next three years.

The company argues that the existing generators do not require permits because they remain mounted on the trailers used to transport them.

Federal regulations, however, state that turbines of this size require permits based on their capacity and operational use, regardless of whether they remain on trailers.

The turbines are located just south of Memphis in Mississippi, close to the Tennessee border.

The surrounding region already experiences some of the highest levels of air pollution in the United States, and the generators have the potential to emit more than 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx), a key contributor to smog, each year.

Permanent power plant under development

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice supported SpaceX in the lawsuit brought by the NAACP, arguing that the turbines are important for national, economic and energy security.

Meanwhile, SpaceX is moving forward with construction of a permanent power facility.

According to permit documents issued by the state of Mississippi, the new plant will include 41 natural gas turbines ranging in capacity from 16.48 megawatts to 50 megawatts.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk also acquired APR Energy, a company specialising in temporary natural gas power generation.

Archived versions of APR Energy’s website indicate that its turbine fleet differs from the equipment listed in permits for the new Colossus power plant.

That suggests APR Energy’s generators are unlikely to be used at the permanent facility and could instead be intended for another project that has not yet been announced.