Mar 11, 2026 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
Elon Musk’s AI company xAI has received approval to install 41 natural gas turbines at a site in Mississippi, generating up to 1.2GW to power its local data centers.
The turbines, which will be installed at a former Duke Energy power plant site in Southaven, will be used to power xAI’s Colossus 2 data center, located a few hundred meters from Tulane Road, across the state boundary in the Whitehaven district of Memphis. They will also supply power to the firm’s upcoming Colossus 3 data center in Mississippi.
In a statement posted on X, the Musk-owned social media platform, which is also part of xAI, the company said it was “thrilled that MDEQ approved our permanent construction permit unlocking 1.2GW of self-generating power capacity.
“This permit not only meets all state and federal permitting regulations but goes above and beyond what is required by law. This permit will ensure that ratepayers don’t pay one extra cent in their energy bills and powers the future of AI innovation through Grok.”
Campaigners say MDEQ rushed its decision and that it should have given residents more notice of the meeting where the turbines were being discussed. It was announced on March 5, five days before it took place, and took place in Jackson, Mississippi, a three-hour drive from the affected community.
“We’re extremely disappointed in MDEQ’s decision to greenlight this inadequate permit for xAI’s power plant, which fails to address the significant concerns about the impact of these added turbines will have on communities in North Mississippi as well as South Memphis,” said Patrick Anderson, a senior attorney at advocacy group the Southern Environmental Law Center.
“Mississippi state regulators appear to be more interested in fast-tracking xAI’s personal power plant than conducting a thorough review of its impacts and having meaningful engagement with the families that will be forced to live with this dirty facility - and its pollution - in their communities.”
