Elon Musk Slammed Over Pollution In Memphis

Critics are piling on Elon Musk over pollution from 35 methane gas turbines used to power a data center in Memphis for xAI, the company behind Grok AI.

xAI says it has submitted permit applications for 15 of the turbines but will wait until they are approved before installing pollution controls. I Photo: xAI

The broad details of the allegations have been reported previously, including by Fortune.

But the latest article from Politico sheds new light on the issue, such as the facility’s status as one of the surrounding county’s biggest polluters, with up to 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions annually, Andrew Nusca reported for Fortune Tech.

Environmentalists and local residents question why local officials have allowed Musk’s company to operate the gas turbines without pollution controls or permits, while letting emissions waft across the neighborhood.

Local officials responded that the turbines are temporary and therefore aren’t required to be permitted until after being used for a year.

Critics are dubious about that decision. Meanwhile, xAI says it has submitted permit applications for 15 of the turbines but will wait until they are approved before installing pollution controls.

The easiest solution would be connecting the data center to the electrical grid, eliminating the need for the gas turbines—but that's months away, at best.