SpaceX won’t remove all of xAI’s unpermitted turbines for another year
Quick Answer
SpaceX will retain unpermitted turbines at its xAI data centers until July 2027 while transitioning to a 1.2 GW natural gas plant.
Quick Take
The company currently operates 69 gas turbines, facing legal challenges over their use, despite DOJ support citing national security concerns.
Key Points
- SpaceX operates 69 gas turbines for xAI data centers near Memphis.
- The transition to a 1.2 GW natural gas power plant is underway.
- NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center have sued xAI over unpermitted turbines.
- Department of Justice supports SpaceX, citing national security concerns.
- SpaceX plans to invest $2.8 billion in gas turbines over the next three years.
DeepSignal Analysis
What happened
SpaceX plans to keep its unpermitted gas turbines at the xAI data centers until July 2027 while transitioning to a new 1.2 GW natural gas plant. The company currently operates 69 turbines amid legal challenges regarding their use, despite support from the DOJ citing national security.
Key evidence
- SpaceX operates 69 gas turbines at its Colossus data centers, which have been in use for several months.
- The NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center have filed lawsuits against xAI for using unpermitted turbines, which are located near Memphis.
- The DOJ has sided with SpaceX in the lawsuit, stating that the turbines' operation relates to national security concerns.
Why it matters
The situation highlights ongoing regulatory challenges in the energy sector, particularly regarding the use of unpermitted equipment in environmentally sensitive areas. The legal battles could impact SpaceX's operations and its plans for future energy projects, especially as it transitions to a more permanent power solution.
What to watch
📖 Reader Mode
~3 min readSpaceX said on Thursday that it will remove the unpermitted turbines powering its xAI data centers near Memphis as it transitions to a permanent, 1.2 gigawatt natural gas power plant.
The turbines won’t be completely removed until July 2027, though. SpaceX said that it’s currently operating 69 gas turbines to power the Colossus data centers, of which many have been operating for months. The NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center have sued xAI over the use of unpermitted turbines. SpaceX acquired xAI in February.
In its IPO filing, SpaceX said it plans to buy $2.8 billion worth of gas turbines for its data centers over the next three years.
SpaceX claims that it is allowed to operate the existing turbines without permits because they remain on the trailers they were shipped on. But federal regulations say that the turbines xAI has been using, regardless of what they sit on, require permits because of their size and how they’re being used.
The turbines are currently located south of Memphis in Mississippi, just over the border with Tennessee. The region is among the most polluted in the U.S., and xAI has been operating gas turbines that have the potential to emit more than 2,000 tons of smog-forming NOx per year.
Last month, the Department of Justice sided with SpaceX in the NAACP’s lawsuit, saying the unpermitted turbines were a matter of “national, economic, and energy security.”
The new power plant that SpaceX is building will consist of 41 gas turbines ranging in size from 16.48 megawatts to 50 megawatts, according to permit documents issued by the state of Mississippi. They appear to be different from those currently in use, though TechCrunch could not verify the specific models of the 69 existing turbines.
Earlier this year, Elon Musk bought APR Energy, a company that specializes in temporary natural gas power. Based on an archive of the company’s site before it was taken down, the turbines in the company’s fleet also appear to be different from those cited in permits for the new, permanent power plant.
Given that APR Energy’s turbines aren’t likely to be part of the new Colossus power plant, the new turbine fleet is likely intended for another, unannounced project.
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Tim De Chant is a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch. He has written for a wide range of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, where he was founding editor.
De Chant is also a lecturer in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and he was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2018, during which time he studied climate technologies and explored new business models for journalism. He received his PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA degree in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.
You can contact or verify outreach from Tim by emailing tim.dechant@techcrunch.com.
— Originally published at techcrunch.com
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