xAI is operating 59 unauthorized gas turbines, which is double the amount it has acknowledged.

      Emails exchanged between regulators and xAI's consultants indicate that most turbines are located in Southaven, Mississippi. On the Tennessee side, within a five-mile radius, around 94% of the residents are Black.

      Ervin Laws, a resident of Colonial Hills in Southaven, noted that the turbines operate continuously, creating noise reminiscent of jet engines. "I can't do anything about it, because he’s got more money than me," he stated, referring to Elon Musk. According to communications between regulators and xAI representatives, there are 59 turbines, none of which possess a federal clean air permit.

      This number, revealed on Tuesday, is nearly double what the company has publicly disclosed. In January, xAI claimed it was operating 27 unpermitted turbines for its Colossus 2 project and has maintained that permits are unnecessary.

      Geography plays a significant role and is often misunderstood. Colossus 2, the data center supporting Grok and xAI's other operations, is located in Memphis, Tennessee. At least 57 of the turbines that power it are situated in Southaven, Mississippi, just a few minutes across the state line, leaving residents of Tennessee without any say in the permitting process. Two additional turbines were installed at an undisclosed location.

      In March, Mississippi regulators granted a permit for 41 permanent gas turbines at the site, three weeks following the state's only public hearing on the project. The 59 turbines currently operational are separate and do not have permits.

      The emails, obtained through a public records request, were sent by Trinity Consultants, representing xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech, to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. They included emissions profiles from the manufacturers for 32 of the 59 turbines.

      Using those profiles, Reuters estimated that the 30 turbines in Southaven alone could emit nearly 2,500 short tons of nitrogen oxides annually, along with 4,000 short tons of carbon monoxide and 22 tons of formaldehyde, assuming they operate continuously at 80% of capacity, which the EPA considers typical for efficiency.

      These are projected emissions based on equipment specifications rather than measurements taken from the stack, and they account for about half of the plant’s output. The Clean Air Act establishes a permitting requirement for emissions exceeding 100 short tons per year.

      Nicholas Mailloux, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, indicated that a facility emitting at this rate would rank among the top 25 nitrogen oxide emitters of any gas plant in the U.S., based on the EPA’s actual emissions data.

      The demographic situation surrounding the site is stark. Within five miles of the turbines in DeSoto County, Mississippi, approximately 46% of residents are Black, compared to 33% countywide. On the Tennessee side in Shelby County, around 94% of residents within the same radius are Black, versus 52% for the county overall.

      In 27 of the 28 census tracts in that area, estimated asthma rates exceed their respective county averages, and in 24 tracts, the same trend applies to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Both counties have previously not met federal ozone standards.

      xAI did not reply to Reuters’ request for comment, and inquiries to the state regulator and the EPA regarding pollution impacts on communities of color went unanswered. In legal documents, xAI and Mississippi contended that the turbines are exempt due to being mobile units designed to operate onsite for less than a year.

      MDEQ informed Reuters that it "has determined that portable/temporary turbines do not require an air permit." The EPA stated in January that temporary turbines surpassing emissions limits must be permitted and is currently considering "regulatory flexibilities" for portable units.

      The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center, represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit against xAI in April aimed at stopping the turbines.

      "The scale of it is astonishing," commented Patrick Anderson, an SELC attorney. In June, the Justice Department intervened in favor of xAI, arguing that limiting the turbines could jeopardize national security since Grok supports U.S. military operations, including those in Iran. Residents in Southaven have also filed separate lawsuits concerning the noise.

      Sarah Gladney, 72, resides in Boxtown, a historic Black neighborhood in Memphis located a few miles from the original Colossus, established in 2024. "Once they got their foot in the door in Memphis, I feel like it’s going to be a continuous movement of xAI into these other communities," she remarked.

      There is no doubt about the company’s strong interest in gas; SpaceX's IPO filing, which now includes xAI, positioned it alongside Tesla’s solar business in the same document.