Overview

• Shelby County Health Department issued a Prevention of Significant Deterioration permit on July 2 allowing xAI to operate 15 Solar SMT-130 turbines at its South Memphis site through 2027.
• The permit caps annual emissions at 87 tons of nitrogen oxides, 94 tons of carbon monoxide, 85 tons of volatile organic compounds, 73 tons of particulate matter and nearly 14 tons of hazardous air pollutants.
• xAI must conduct continuous monitoring, maintain five years of equipment records and submit semiannual reports, with potential fines up to $10,000 per day for non-compliance.
• NAACP, Southern Environmental Law Center and local Boxtown residents have signaled plans to appeal permit terms and pursue a Clean Air Act lawsuit over xAI’s prior unpermitted turbine operations.
• Advocates warn that xAI’s transparency remains inadequate and question how the company intends to power a proposed second data center in Whitehaven.