SpaceX said on Thursday it will keep the luddites turbines running near Memphis until July 2027, even as it moves toward a permanent 1.2 gigawatt natural gas power plant. The company says 69 gas turbines are currently powering the Colossus data centers.
That leaves the disputed fleet in place for months to come. The turbines are still operating south of Memphis in Mississippi, where the region has been described as among the most polluted in the U.S.
Tim De Chant On SpaceX
Tim De Chant of TechCrunch is the author tied to the report and can be reached at [email protected]. SpaceX’s new timetable gives a clearer endpoint for the existing setup: full removal in July 2027, not sooner.
The replacement system is larger and different in structure. SpaceX said the new plant will use 41 gas turbines ranging from 16.48 megawatts to 50 megawatts, and the full plant is sized at 1.2 gigawatts. That points to a buildout meant to take over the load now carried by the temporary fleet.
NAACP, Southern Environmental Law Center
The turbines have been the center of a lawsuit brought by the NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center over their use without permits. SpaceX says it can keep operating them because they remain on the trailers they were shipped on, but federal regulations say turbines of this size and use require permits.
Last month, the Department of Justice sided with SpaceX in the NAACP’s lawsuit, calling the issue one of “national, economic, and energy security.” SpaceX had also said in its IPO filing that it plans to buy $2.8 billion worth of gas turbines for its data centers over the next three years.
Elon Musk And APR Energy
Elon Musk bought APR Energy earlier this year, and APR Energy specializes in temporary natural gas power. SpaceX’s existing fleet has been operating for months, and xAI has been using gas turbines with the potential to emit more than 2,000 tons of smog-forming NOx per year.
For readers near Memphis, the immediate takeaway is simple: the current turbine setup is not going away right away, but the company has now put a date on the end of it. Until July 2027, the disputed fleet remains part of the power supply while the larger plant is built out to replace it.
