xAI data center installs unapproved gas turbines, raising health risks for nearby residents

Elon Musk's AI company xAI, now called SpaceXAI after merging with SpaceX, installed 59 natural gas turbines at its Colossus 2 data center in Tennessee without federal approval. The company had only reported 27 turbines. Reuters found that 30 of these turbines could release 2,500 tons of nitrogen oxides, 4,000 tons of carbon monoxide, and 22 tons of formaldehyde each year, far above the legal limit of 100 tons for nitrogen oxides under the U.S. Clean Air Act.

The NAACP has sued SpaceXAI, saying the unapproved turbines increased nitrogen oxide emissions by 111%, PM2.5 particles by 83%, and formaldehyde by 88%. These pollutants are linked to higher lung disease rates nearby. Within 5 miles (8 km) of the site, 27 out of 28 census areas have asthma rates above the county average, and 24 have higher COPD rates.