xAI Colossus (Colossus 1)

Status: Operating · as of Sept. 1, 2024
Location: 3231 Paul R. Lowry Rd., Memphis (Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park, near Boxtown, southwest Memphis) · Shelby County
Status note: Powered up around Sept. 2024. Grid supply approved at 150 MW (TVA, Nov. 2024), plus a second 150 MW approved by TVA Feb. 2026; MLGW projected 300 MW total at this site once the second substation was finished. Temporary turbines reported removed in mid-2025; 15 permanent turbines permitted July 2025.
Power: 300 MW
Grid: 8 MW originally, 50 MW by Aug. 2024, 150 MW approved by TVA Nov. 7, 2024; MLGW said in May 2025 that 150 MW was energized and a second 150 MW was pending, for 300 MW total. TVA approved an additional 150 MW Feb. 11, 2026 (reporting does not name the site, but it matches MLGW's pending Paul Lowry request). Temporary turbines peaked at about 35 units / roughly 421 MW (SELC). Permanent on-site permit: 15 turbines. Cleanview estimates about 500 MW total including batteries; that is an analyst estimate.
Land: 217 acres
Investment: xAI and the Greater Memphis Chamber cited $12 billion; local tax records reported by the Daily Memphian put the taxable investment at about $2.2 billion.
Developer and team: xAI (now SpaceX/SpaceXAI) (through CTC Property LLC (permit applicant, xAI affiliate))
End user: xAI (Grok training and inference)
Utility: MLGW (power purchased from TVA)
Water: Up to about 1 million gallons/day from an existing MLGW main (MLGW fact sheet); xAI is building the $80M Colossus Water Recycling Plant to supply 13 million gallons/day of treated effluent from the T.E. Maxson wastewater plant, with operations expected fall 2026.
Incentives: No PILOT or abatement for xAI was found. The Daily Memphian (Apr. 2025) reported xAI expected to pay more than $30M in combined city/county property taxes, assessed on about $2.2B rather than the $12B touted. MLGW's fact sheet projected about $500K/yr in added MLGW in-lieu-of-tax payments to the city. The building itself was built in 2010 for Electrolux with a $97M state grant and a 15-year 75% local abatement (MLGW). xAI paid for the substations and transmission upgrades, according to MLGW.
Evidence: Primary public records
Size class: 50 MW or more (tracker scope)

Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.

Updates, newest first

Feb. 11, 2026 TVA board unanimously approved an additional 150 MW of firm power for xAI through MLGW, doubling its grid allocation, conditioned on contractual, financial, and operational requirements. (Knoxville News Sentinel (via Yahoo), Feb. 11, 2026; WSMV, Feb. 12, 2026)
Dec. 15, 2025 Air Pollution Control Board dismissed the appeal after a seven-hour hearing (Memphis Flyer reports a 6-1 vote). (WMC Action News 5, Dec. 15, 2025; Memphis Flyer, Dec. 16, 2025; Southern Environmental Law Center, May 8, 2026)
Oct. 10, 2025 xAI broke ground on the $80M Colossus Water Recycling Plant, meant to treat 13 million gallons/day of T.E. Maxson plant effluent so xAI stops drawing on the Memphis Sand aquifer; operations expected fall 2026. (WMC Action News 5, Oct. 10, 2025; MLGW, May 5, 2025)
Aug. 29, 2025 FOX13 reported a University of Memphis dispersion-modeling study (Dr. Chunrong Jia) found modeled turbine pollutants below national standards, except PM2.5, which it attributed to the area's overall industry. (FOX13 Memphis, Aug. 29, 2025)
July 16, 2025 SELC appealed the permit to the Memphis and Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board for the NAACP and Young, Gifted & Green, arguing the site should be treated as an existing major source. (Tennessee Lookout, July 17, 2025; Southern Environmental Law Center, May 8, 2026)
July 3, 2025 City-commissioned air testing (June 13 and 16, by Ensafe/SGS Galson) reported no dangerous pollutant levels; MLK50 reported outside experts said the wind did not blow from the site toward the monitor and ozone was not measured. (MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, July 3, 2025)
July 2, 2025 Shelby County Health Department issued the air permit for 15 permanent gas turbines, with 12-month rolling emission caps, monthly recordkeeping, testing deadlines, and fines up to $10,000 per day per violation. (CNBC (via NBC San Diego), July 3, 2025; WMC Action News 5, July 2, 2025)
June 17, 2025 SELC sent xAI a 60-day Clean Air Act notice of intent to sue on behalf of the NAACP, alleging at least 35 turbines run without permits (capacity about 407-421 MW, potential NOx over 2,000 tons/yr). SELC later said xAI removed the unpermitted turbines; no suit over this site was found. (TechCrunch, June 18, 2025; Southern Environmental Law Center, May 8, 2026)
May 22, 2025 DCD reported 168 Tesla Megapacks installed at the site. (Data Center Dynamics, May 22, 2025; Cleanview, May 13, 2026)
May 6, 2025 Greater Memphis Chamber said xAI would remove temporary turbines over two months, keeping about half running until the second substation (No. 22) connected in fall 2025. (WMC Action News 5, May 6, 2025; Data Center Dynamics, May 7, 2025)
May 5, 2025 MLGW public update: 150 MW energized at Paul Lowry, second 150 MW pending TVA, second substation under construction at xAI's expense, 300 MW expected by Dec. 2025. (MLGW, May 5, 2025)
April 25, 2025 Health department held a public hearing on the permit at Fairley High School; SELC says all commenters opposed it. State Rep. Justin Pearson spoke against the turbines. (Memphis Flyer, April 30, 2025; Southern Environmental Law Center, May 8, 2026)
April 24, 2025 SELC said thermal imagery showed more than 30 turbines operating (TechCrunch reported at least 33). (Southern Environmental Law Center, May 8, 2026; TechCrunch, June 18, 2025)
April 14, 2025 Daily Memphian reported xAI expects to pay more than $30M in city and county property taxes, assessed on about $2.2B of investment. (Daily Memphian, April 14, 2025)
April 9, 2025 SELC released aerial images it says showed 35 turbines on site (about 421 MW). Mayor Paul Young said xAI told him only 15 were running and the rest were stored. (Southern Environmental Law Center, May 8, 2026; WREG, April 1, 2025)
April 1, 2025 Shelby County Commission passed a resolution urging the health department to hold a public hearing on the turbine permit. (Memphis Flyer, April 30, 2025)
March 18, 2025 Memphis City Council approved the final sale of about 13 city-owned acres for $820,000 for xAI's greywater recycling plant. (WMC Action News 5, March 19, 2025)
Jan. 1, 2025 xAI (through affiliate CTC Property LLC) applied to the Shelby County Health Department for an air permit for 15 permanent gas turbines (month only). (Southern Environmental Law Center, May 8, 2026; Memphis Flyer, April 30, 2025)
Nov. 7, 2024 TVA board, meeting at Murray State, approved MLGW's request to supply 150 MW to xAI, conditioned on a demand-response program, Megapack batteries, and curtailment within 30 minutes on TVA request. (WKMS, Nov. 7, 2024; Data Center Dynamics, Nov. 8, 2024; Renewable Energy World, Nov. 7, 2024)
July 9, 2024 MLGW CEO Doug McGowen told the Memphis City Council about 50 MW would be ready by Aug. 1 and another 150 MW needed TVA approval; council members complained they learned of the project from the news. (WMC Action News 5, July 9, 2024; MLGW, Jan. 1, 2024)
June 5, 2024 Greater Memphis Chamber announced xAI's supercomputer project at the former plant, pending approvals from EDGE, TVA, and local bodies; Mayors Paul Young and Lee Harris and MLGW's Doug McGowen were quoted in support. (Greater Memphis Chamber, June 5, 2024)
June 5, 2024 Rep. Steve Cohen issued a statement welcoming the project as good for the Memphis economy. (Office of Rep. Steve Cohen, June 5, 2024)
Dec. 1, 2023 Phoenix Investors bought the former Electrolux property for $35 million (month only, per Commercial Appeal). (The Commercial Appeal (via AOL), June 12, 2024)

Conflicts and open questions

Turbine count conflict: SELC counted 35 (April 2025); Mayor Young relayed xAI's claim that only 15 were operating; CNBC reported SELC saying a July 1, 2025 image still showed at least 24 turbines, which conflicts with SELC's later timeline saying all unpermitted turbines were removed June 17, 2025.
Appeal outcome wording conflict: WMC Action News 5 and SELC say the board dismissed it as moot; Memphis Flyer reports a 6-1 vote after the health department said EPA told it the temporary turbines needed no permit.
Investment conflict: $12B touted by the Chamber vs. about $2.2B taxable per Daily Memphian records.
Megapack count conflict: 168 (DCD, May 2025) vs. 119 from Cleanview's later satellite count.
TVA's Feb. 2026 approval does not name the site in the reporting we opened; assignment to Paul Lowry is an inference from MLGW's pending request.
No EDGE PILOT for xAI found; the Commercial Appeal reported in June 2024 that EDGE had received no xAI application. Open question whether any later application exists.
Permit conditions come from reporting, not the permit document; the permit itself should be pulled from SCHD.
Coordinates are approximate, from the reported address.

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