Musk’s xAI obtains permit for controversial datacenter’s power plant

Billionaire’s artificial intelligence company win approval to run 41 methane gas turbines at its ‘Colossus 2’. That’s nearly double the amount it has been operating.

xAI got permit for running 41 methane gas turbines at its “Colossus 2” datacenter in northern Mississippi.

The turbines will power massive datacenters, which house the company’s AI supercomputers, which in turn power the AI Grok, the xAI most recognizable product.

The decision, made by the Mississippi department of environmental quality (MDEQ) comes amid public opposition to the datacenter, which demands enormous amounts of electricity. Environmental advocates claim the cluster of gas generators will contribute to air pollution in Southaven, Mississippi.

Since xAI fired up Colossus 2 last year, bringing in unpermitted turbines, residents have complained of noise and air quality issues. At a public hearing held by MDEQ in Southaven last month,, no one spoke in favor of MDEQ granting the permit, according to NBC.

Amid similar local outcry, xAI set up its first datacenter in Memphis in 2024. It’s an enormous facility named “Colossus” that’s roughly the size of 13 football fields. Tennessee regulators granted a permit for 15 gas generators there last July. The company is additionally building a third datacenter in Southaven, dubbed “Macrohardrr”.

According to environmental experts, the xAI gas generators emit fine particulate matter with hazardous chemicals such as formaldehyde and nitrogen oxide. Such pollutants are contributing to an increase in diseases, such as asthma, heart attacks, respiratory illness and certain cancers. The areas with xAI’s datacenters already struggle with new pollution. American Lung Association have given an “F” grade to both DeSoto and Shelby counties.