xAI installs 500 MW of gas turbines amid environmental lawsuit
xAI secretly added 19 natural gas turbines totaling 500 MW to its Mississippi Colossus 2 data center, prompting an NAACP lawsuit alleging Clean Air Act violations.
Public records reveal xAI installed 19 portable gas turbines at its Colossus 2 site in Mississippi since March, adding over 500 MW of capacity. The NAACP and environmental groups filed a lawsuit alleging these turbines violate the Clean Air Act because they operate without permanent permits, a claim xAI disputes by citing temporary status exemptions. Eight of these new turbines were installed after the lawsuit was filed in April, bringing the total on-site count to 46 units. Regulators allowed xAI to claim a one-year permit exemption due to the turbines' portable nature, but environmental lawyers argue the massive scale effectively creates an unpermitted power plant. The NAACP has filed an emergency injunction to shut down the operations, citing environmental justice concerns similar to those raised at xAI's Tennessee Colossus 1 site.