xAI Data Center Operates Methane Turbines Without Authorization in Memphis
xAI's data center in Memphis operated methane gas turbines for about a year without authorization before receiving a permit, reportedly causing air pollution and respiratory harm to residents of the historically Black neighborhood of Boxtown. The Southern Environmental Law Center claims the facility violates the Clean Air Act and plans litigation.
What happened
xAI's data center in Boxtown, Memphis, Tennessee, operated 35 methane gas turbines to power its Colossus supercomputer and Grok chatbot without authorization for approximately one year before receiving an air permit from the Memphis local health department.
The Southern Environmental Law Center reported that the permit granted allows only 15 turbines but aerial footage shows as many as 35 on site, and the center plans to sue xAI for violating the Clean Air Act.
Reported impact
Residents of Boxtown, a historically Black neighborhood, reported air quality degradation and breathing difficulties. Alexis Humphreys, a Boxtown resident, stated: 'I can't breathe at home. It smells like gas outside.'
The neighborhood already faces elevated asthma rates due to proximity to industrial pollution and the legacy of the Allen Fossil Plant, which operated until 2018.
Index analysis
Over 1,000 people submitted public comments to the health department demanding protection against the emissions before the permit was issued.
Governance controls
The Memphis local health department issued a one-year air permit allowing 15 turbines. KeShaun Pearson, head of Memphis Community Against Pollution, stated: 'The flagrant violation of the Clean Air Act and the disregard for our human right to clean air, by xAI's burning of illegal methane turbines, has been stamped as permissible.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.