DeSoto County

Updates, newest first

1. Oct. 19, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Judge Debra M. Brown granted the United States intervention but denied dismissal; she called the appeal premature and gave the government until Oct. 23 to file its own pleading. xAI's motion to dismiss is still pending. (U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (RECAP), Oct. 19, 2026)
2. Oct. 15, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Buyout offers through Burch Realty and Cushman & Wakefield confirmed, and some owners accepted. The mayor called them voluntary. (Mississippi Today, Oct. 15, 2026)
3. Sept. 25, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Letters from MZX Tech offering to buy nearby homes in exchange for releasing claims in the class action were reported. (Mississippi Free Press, Sept. 25, 2026)
4. Sept. 18, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · The United States appealed to the Fifth Circuit, treating the judge's Aug. 24 remark that she intended to deny its motion as a ruling (No. 26-60806). (U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (RECAP), Sept. 18, 2026; Justia Dockets (5th Cir.), Sept. 24, 2026)
5. Sept. 1, 2026 SpaceXAI data center, 8325 Tulane Road (former city training center) · Board of Aldermen approved the data center site plan after a unanimous Planning Commission vote; Hoots voted no, citing turbine noise. (DeSoto Times-Tribune, Sept. 2, 2026; WMC Action News 5, Sept. 2, 2026)
6. Aug. 31, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · The company said 11 temporary turbines had been shut down. (WMC Action News 5, Aug. 31, 2026)
7. Aug. 18, 2026 SpaceXAI data center, 8325 Tulane Road (former city training center) · The board was briefed on the MZX land swap and the $40M payment for the training center; the mayor called it a win for the city. (DeSoto Times-Tribune, Aug. 20, 2026; Mississippi Today, Oct. 7, 2026)
8. July 30, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · MDEQ and MZX signed Agreed Order 7739 26. In it the two agree the operation so far has not violated Mississippi air permitting requirements; it sets a retirement date for each unit (the 14 SMT-130s by Dec. 31, 2026, 13 of them past the 12-month limit; the rest within 12 months of arrival, the last by July 14, 2027) and requires biweekly reports and emissions testing. MZX cited supply-chain delays on the permanent turbines. (Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality / MDEQ, July 30, 2026; Mississippi Today, July 31, 2026; WMC Action News 5, July 31, 2026)
9. July 15, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Final temporary turbines added, bringing the total to 69. The agreed order bars additions after this date. (Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality / MDEQ, July 30, 2026)
10. June 15, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · xAI moved to dismiss, saying it relied on the state's ruling that the turbines are mobile sources; a company declaration counted 59 temporary turbines. The Justice Department moved to intervene and dismiss, citing federal primacy and national security; it attached a May 29 letter in which Gov. Reeves asked the department to intervene and oppose the injunction. (U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (RECAP), June 15, 2026; U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (RECAP), June 15, 2026; U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (RECAP), June 15, 2026; U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (RECAP), June 15, 2026; Mississippi Free Press, June 16, 2026)
11. June 8, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Residents filed a noise class action, Haley et al. v. X.AI Corp. et al., No. 3:26-cv-00148, against xAI, SpaceX and MZX Tech. (ClassAction.org, June 29, 2026; Mississippi Today, June 9, 2026)
12. May 6, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · The plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction to stop the turbines (33 cited); an amended motion on June 12 cited 57 as of May 15. No ruling as of Oct. 20, 2026. (U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (RECAP), May 6, 2026; U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (RECAP), June 12, 2026)
13. April 14, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · The NAACP and its Mississippi State Conference sued X.AI Corp. and MZX Tech under the Clean Air Act in federal court in Oxford (No. 3:26-cv-74), alleging 27 turbines here needed state and federal permits. (U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. (via CourtListener RECAP), April 14, 2026; Mississippi Today, April 15, 2026)
14. April 9, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · SELC, for the NAACP, Young, Gifted & Green and Safe and Sound Coalition, requested an evidentiary hearing to contest the permit, alleging flawed modeling and missing offsets. No outcome found. (Southern Environmental Law Center (advocacy), April 9, 2026; Mississippi Today, April 10, 2026)
15. March 11, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · PSD Air Construction Permit No. 0680-00119 issued to MZX Tech LLC. It expires if construction does not begin within 18 months. (Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board / MDEQ, March 11, 2026)
16. March 10, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Permit Board voted unanimously in Jackson, on primary election day, to approve the 41-turbine permit. (Mississippi Public Broadcasting, March 10, 2026; Mississippi Free Press, March 10, 2026)
17. Feb. 17, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · MDEQ public hearing held in Southaven; no attendees spoke in support, per SELC. (Mississippi Today, Feb. 9, 2026; Southern Environmental Law Center (advocacy), March 10, 2026)
18. Feb. 13, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · NAACP and its Mississippi conference (Earthjustice, SELC) served a 60-day Clean Air Act notice of intent to sue on xAI, MZX Tech and SpaceX, alleging the turbines are unpermitted stationary and major sources. (Earthjustice / SELC for NAACP, Feb. 13, 2026)
19. Jan. 17, 2026 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · MDEQ noticed a Feb. 17 hearing on MZX's PSD application for a behind-the-meter plant of about 1.2 GW with 41 turbines. (DeSoto County News, Jan. 17, 2026)
20. Jan. 9, 2026 xAI MACROHARDRR data center (2400 Stateline Road) · Southaven signed a fee-in-lieu agreement with xAI. (Mississippi Today, Oct. 7, 2026)
21. Jan. 8, 2026 xAI MACROHARDRR data center (2400 Stateline Road) · Gov. Reeves announced the investment of more than $20B, MDA incentive approval and local fee-in-lieu support, with operations targeted for February 2026. (Office of Gov. Tate Reeves, Jan. 8, 2026; WLOX / Gray, Jan. 8, 2026)
22. Dec. 30, 2025 xAI MACROHARDRR data center (2400 Stateline Road) · Musk announced the building purchase and the MACROHARDRR name. (DeSoto Times-Tribune, Dec. 31, 2025)
23. Dec. 18, 2025 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Turbine count reached 27 after nine more were added. (Mississippi Today, Feb. 9, 2026; Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality / MDEQ, July 30, 2026)
24. Dec. 16, 2025 xAI MACROHARDRR data center (2400 Stateline Road) · Southaven aldermen approved an MOU with xAI tied to the data center; MZX agreed to pay $3.46M for road widening near the plant and data center. (Mississippi Today, Oct. 7, 2026)
25. Nov. 24, 2025 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Residents' noise complaints reported. 18 turbines were running, and xAI planned 59 in all. The mayor called the noise mostly temporary construction noise and the environmental risk very low. (Mississippi Today, Nov. 24, 2025)
26. Aug. 1, 2025 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · First temporary turbines (Solar SMT-130 units) brought on site, per MDEQ inventory; Mayor Musselwhite publicly welcomed the expansion and said the old Duke plant would run again. (Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality / MDEQ, July 30, 2026; DeSoto Times-Tribune, Aug. 1, 2025)
27. July 29, 2025 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · MDEQ letter treated the turbines as mobile sources outside stationary permitting if they stay portable and remain on site 12 months or less, and asked for NOx and PM2.5 controls. (Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality / MDEQ, July 30, 2026; Mississippi Today, Nov. 24, 2025)
28. July 18, 2025 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · MZX Tech's purchase of 114.49 acres at 2875 Stanton Road was reported; county records show a nominal $10 price. Sources disagree on the seller: Stanton Road Peak Properties LLC in one report, Julie M. James in others. (DeSoto County News, July 18, 2025; DatacenterDynamics, July 21, 2025; Bisnow, July 21, 2025)
29. July 16, 2025 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · Transmission-line easement in favor of MZX Tech dated; xAI CFO listed as representative on the agreements. (DeSoto County News, July 18, 2025)
30. May 16, 2025 xAI / MZX Tech Stanton Road power plant (former Duke Energy site) · MZX Tech LLC formed or registered, per Mississippi SOS foreign LLC application cited in NAACP notice (the notice body misstates the year as 2026). Not independently verified on SOS site. (Earthjustice / SELC for NAACP, Feb. 13, 2026)

Statewide

Mississippi's standard data center incentive (S.B. 2271, 2019 Laws) lets MDA-certified data centers investing at least $20M and creating 20+ jobs at 125% of the state average wage get a 10-year sales/use tax exemption on construction materials and equipment plus state income and franchise tax exemptions; the 2019 bill lowered the prior $50M/50-job/150% thresholds and extended the utility-fuel exemption to data centers. Code sections not confirmed this pass. (Sales Tax Institute, July 1, 2019; Mississippi Today, July 29, 2026) MDA approved xAI's Southaven data center for the standard Data Center Incentive (sales/use tax exemption on computing equipment and software), per the governor's Jan. 8, 2026 announcement; no xAI-specific legislation was identified. (Office of Gov. Tate Reeves, Jan. 8, 2026; Mississippi Today, July 29, 2026) Local fee-in-lieu agreements can cut property taxes on large projects to as little as one-third of the normal bill once $60M is invested and the facility operates, for up to 10 years per property (30 years total); Southaven signed one with xAI on Jan. 9, 2026, terms not published. (Mississippi Today, July 29, 2026; Mississippi Today, Oct. 7, 2026) Amazon's 2024 package (S.B. 2001, 2024 special session, Mississippi Major Economic Impact Act) gave $44M in appropriations, a $215M loan to Madison County and a permanent equipment sales/use tax exemption; its qualifying bar is $10B and 1,000 jobs. (Mississippi Today, July 29, 2026; Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Jan. 26, 2024) MDEQ air rule 11 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2, Ch. 2, R. 2.13.D was MDEQ's basis for treating xAI's trailer-mounted turbines as 'mobile sources' exempt from stationary permitting if they stay portable and on site 12 months or less; challengers argue that turbines above 10 MMBtu/hr fall under NSPS Subpart KKKK and so cannot count as nonroad engines. (Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality / MDEQ, July 30, 2026; Earthjustice / SELC for NAACP, Feb. 13, 2026) Mississippi data centers →