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SpaceX said<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n The turbines won\u2019t be completely removed until July 2027, though. SpaceX said that it\u2019s 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<\/a> over the use of unpermitted turbines. <\/p>\n SpaceX acquired xAI<\/a> in February.\u00a0In its IPO filing, SpaceX said it plans to buy $2.8 billion worth of gas turbines<\/a> for its data centers over the next three years.<\/p>\n The company 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\u2019re being used.<\/p>\n 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<\/sub> per year.<\/p>\n Last month, the Department of Justice sided with SpaceX<\/a> in the NAACP\u2019s lawsuit, saying the unpermitted turbines were a matter of \u201cnational, economic, and energy security.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Elon Musk bought APR Energy, a company that specializes in temporary natural gas power. Based on an archive of the company\u2019s site<\/a> before it was taken down, the turbines in the company\u2019s fleet also appear to be different from those cited in permits for the new, permanent power plant.\u00a0<\/p>\n Given that APR Energy\u2019s turbines aren\u2019t likely to be part of the new Colossus power plant, the new turbine fleet is likely intended for another, unannounced project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n