Colossus 1 power station
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Colossus 1 power station is an operating power station of at least 247-megawatts (MW) in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It is also known as xAI power plant.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Colossus 1 power station | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | 35.059234, -90.155725 (exact)[1] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- 1: 35.059234, -90.155725
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Equipment | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Operating[2][1][3][4][5][6][7] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 247.5[1][3][5][8][9][7][10] | gas turbine[1][8] | no[1][7] | 2024[1] | Solar Turbines: SMT130[8][5] | no |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | X.AI Corp [100%][1] | X.AI Corp [100.0%] |
Project-level captive use details
- Captive industry use (heat or power): power[1]
- Captive industry: Data Center[1]
- Non-industry use: none[1]
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Colossus 1 is the data-center campus operated by xAI (founded by Elon Musk) in South Memphis, located at 3231 Paul Lowry Road in an industrial area (former Electrolux factory site). The site began operations around July 2024 with reported IT capacity ~150 MW and an initial grid connection of ~8 MW, which later increased to ~150 MW via the local utility (Tennessee Valley Authority/MLGW). To support that load (and ramp quickly while full grid connections were still in place), xAI deployed a fleet of gas turbines on-site. These units acted as interim or supplemental generation. [11][12][13][14]
Aerial imagery from April 2025 revealed approximately 35 gas-fueled turbines on site, many more than publicly permitted at the time. The Shelby County Health Department eventually granted an air permit in July 2025 for up to 15 turbines generating about 247.2 MW, valid through January 2027. xAI announced it would remove or demobilize many of the turbines: a statement indicated that over the upcoming months the “temporary” gas turbines would be removed, with remaining units relegated to backup once the second substation is completed and connected.[13][12][15]
The second substation connection is scheduled for fall 2025 — after which the gas turbines should shift from primary generation to backup power. The permit requires installation of Best Available Control Technology (BACT) by September 1, 2025 for the permitted units. The permit expiry (January 2, 2027) indicates that further reviews/renewals/expansions may happen if xAI upgrades or expands the site further.[11][15][12]
Environmental concerns
Environmental and community groups (e.g., Southern Environmental Law Center, NAACP) claim xAI operated many turbines without proper air-emissions permits, exposing nearby neighborhoods (including historically disadvantaged areas) to increased pollution (NOₓ, formaldehyde, smog precursors). Even after the permit was issued, it only covers 15 turbines, while imaging suggests more turbines remained on site, raising concerns about continued non-permitted operations. The local community is especially impacted because South Memphis (including Boxtown) already experiences high levels of industrial pollution, asthma rates and lowered life expectancy — meaning additional on-site generation adds to cumulative burden.[16][17]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/xai-removes-some-of-controversial-gas-turbines-from-memphis-data-center/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/07/08/musk-ship-overseas-power-plant-memphis-energize-colossus/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/business/development/2025/04/25/elon-musk-xai-in-memphis-gas-turbines-hearings/83160326007/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.teslarati.com/xai-tesla-megapack-colossus-2/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2025/09/xai-colossus-2-first-gigawatt-ai-data-center.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/19/climate/xai-musk-memphis-turbines-pollution.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://newsletter.semianalysis.com/p/xais-colossus-2-first-gigawatt-datacenter.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 (PDF) https://media.512pixels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/01156-01PC-070225Permit.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/post/natural-gas-power-grab-for-musk-ai-data-center-in-memphis-sparks-environmental-justice-fight.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/elon-musk-xai-gas-turbines-memphis/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 "xAI removes some of controversial gas turbines from Memphis data center". DCD. 2025-05-07. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "xAI granted permits for 15 gas turbines at Memphis data center". DCD. 2025-07-03. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 "xAI doubles number of onsite gas turbines at Memphis data center in violation of permit limits". DCD. 2025-04-11. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "xAI is facing a lawsuit for operating over 400 MW of gas turbines without permits | TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. 2025-06-18. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 "xAI data center gets air permit to run 15 turbines, but imaging shows 24 on site - Ars Technica". arstechnica.com. 2025-07-03. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "NAACP calls on Memphis officials to halt operations at xAI's 'dirty data center' | TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "NAACP accuses Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company of air pollution violations | AP News". apnews.com. 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of gas-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
