xAI's permit request for turbines still pending The Shelby County Health Department is still reviewing an operations permit for 15 natural gas turbines at the facility. The application calls for permanent 24/7 usage of the turbines at the site, though Bobby White, the chamber's chief government affairs officer, told The Commercial Appeal that xAI plans to use the 15 gas turbines for backup power. The use of gas turbines at xAI has been a staunch subject of debate, including the number of turbines in use at the site. In April, the SELC claimed that xAI was using 35 natural gas turbines at the facility and was in violation of the Clean Air Act. The county health department said there is an existing statute allowing the use of stationary gas turbines for up to 364 days before a permit is required. In the lawsuit, the SELC argued that the turbines in use at the xAI facility do not meet the exemption guidelines and claims that the county health department is stretching the definition of the Clean Air Act's "nonroad engine exemption" for some portable combustion engines. "There is no such exemption" SELC attorney Patrick Anderson said at a news conference on June 17. Anderson said that Young's office, the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce and the county health department could not confirm any citation or written language in regards to the 364-day exemption. In a statement, the county health department said it would not comment on potential or pending litigation but provided additional context regarding the operating permit that is still under review for 15 gas turbines. "The Shelby County Health Department is currently reviewing the air permit application submitted by xAI for a synthetic minor source under the state regulations and the Clean Air Act," according to the statement. "This review is being conducted in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 4 office. Shelby County Health Department has been working closely with the EPA Region 4 office since xAI arrived in Shelby County." Currently, a pair of 150-megawatt substations is planned to help power xAI's facility, and one of those is already completed. According to the lawsuit, the SELC and NAACP claim that xAI began using 16 gas turbines at the site on June 12, 2024, and in March, 35 gas turbines were at the xAI site, the highest total since operations began.