xAI gas turbine power plant on Stanton Road in Southaven (powers xAI data centers)
Also called: former Duke Energy plant, SpaceXAI Southaven power plant
xAI runs gas turbines at an old power plant site on Stanton Road in Southaven to power its data centers in Memphis and Southaven. The state approved a permanent 41-turbine plant in 2026. Neighbors say the turbines are loud, and civil rights and environmental groups appealed the air permit.
Where things stand: Temporary gas turbines are running. The state approved a permanent 41-turbine plant in March 2026; a legal appeal was filed.
🕒 Latest update (July 31, 2026): xAI said it will remove all 69 temporary turbines from the Stanton Road site between August 2026 and July 2027, replacing them with the permanent 1.2 GW plant.
What we know
- 📍 Where2875 Stanton Road, Southaven (former Duke Energy power plant site), Southaven, DeSoto County
- 🏢 CompanyxAI (SpaceXAI)
- 🏛️ Owned byxAI (SpaceXAI)
- 👤 Built forxAI (Colossus 2 data center in Memphis, Tenn., and Southaven sites)
- ⚡ Power it needs1,200 megawatts (about as much as 960,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromNatural gas turbines on site. Plan: 41 permanent turbines making about 1.2 gigawatts; the temporary turbines are to be removed by July 2027.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- What is the outcome of the appeal of the air permit? 🙋 I'll find out
- When will the last temporary turbines be removed? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much air pollution will the permanent plant release each year? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Feb 17, 2026Mississippi DEQ held a public hearing in Jackson on the air permit for 41 turbines.
- March 10, 2026The state environmental permit board approved the air permit for 41 gas turbines.
- April 2026The Southern Environmental Law Center appealed the permit for the NAACP, Young Gifted & Green and the Safe and Sound Coalition.
- July 31, 2026xAI said it will remove all 69 temporary turbines from the Stanton Road site between August 2026 and July 2027, replacing them with the permanent 1.2 GW plant.
Local votes and rules
✅ Approved
Aldermen approved plans for a 660,000 sq ft SpaceXAI data center on the city's old 51-acre training site on Tulane Road. The company got the land in a land swap and paid $40 million toward a new city training center. One alderman voted no, asking the company to finish earlier promises first.
⚖️ Court case
The NAACP, with the Southern Environmental Law Center and Earthjustice, sued xAI and MZX Tech. They say the company ran dozens of gas turbines in Southaven without an air permit, breaking the Clean Air Act. They ask the court to stop the unpermitted turbines, require pollution controls and fine the company.
📌 Other
The Southern Environmental Law Center appealed the state air permit for xAI's Southaven gas turbines on behalf of the NAACP, Young Gifted & Green and the Safe and Sound Coalition. They say the permit should not have been granted because of the pollution.
🤝 Agreement with the company
DeSoto County and the City of Southaven made a deal with xAI's company MZX Tech LLC to pay a set fee instead of regular property taxes (fee in lieu). It went to the state development agency (MDA) for final approval on Dec. 30, 2025; a second one went on Feb. 24, 2026. The terms were not in the agenda.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- State approves xAI's use of gas turbines in Southaven · Action News 5 · March 10, 2026
- Mississippi regulators approve permit for xAI gas turbines in Southaven despite resident concerns · Mississippi Public Broadcasting · March 10, 2026
- Activist groups appeal Mississippi approval of xAI turbines · WLOX · April 9, 2026
- xAI announces fourth data center; turbines to be removed from Southaven site · Action News 5 · July 31, 2026
- Memphis data center moratorium won't stop SpaceXAI growing in Southaven · Daily Memphian · Sept 21, 2026
- xAI buys building and additional land in Southaven for data center · DeSoto Times-Tribune · Dec 30, 2025
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