The NAACP has argued that xAI’s reliance on gas turbines has only grown the longer the facility has operated, “growing from 18 to 27 to 33 to, now, 60 unpermitted gas turbines,” while “Memphis area communities were left to piece together the pollution threat for themselves.”
So far, despite being the supposedly fast and easy solution, gas turbines aren’t widely used yet. According to Cleanview, xAI accounts for most of the 2 GW behind-the-meter generation capacity running as of mid-2026.
Some of these projects can be approved in days, without any public notice, the NYT reported. One nonpartisan research group, the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), recently estimated that “at least 82 gas-burning power plants are being built or have been proposed” to power US data centers—most within the last 18 months.
But not every project gets a rubber stamp. Permitting delays have set back other attempts to move forward with off-the-grid data centers from OpenAI and Oracle, as well as Microsoft, Cleanview reported. And if nothing changes to end those delays by 2027, out of 13 GW in possible projects that could be online, only 5 GW of power may be added, the company forecasted.
AI firms are doing their best to ensure there’s as much power as possible, avoiding delays by breaking up larger power projects into smaller phases that require less rigorous rules, the NYT reported. To stop that, the EIP is planning a lawsuit that could force US data center developers to adhere to stricter pollution rules.
As Amazon’s data center plans expand, Jen Duggan, the EIP’s executive director, told the NYT that Texas remains a hotspot to watch for fast-tracked projects from the biggest tech companies.
That’s troubling Texans, she said, who seem unlikely to simmer down since gas-burning plants “carry significant environmental footprints,” and “weak air pollution control permits that don’t protect public health are a systemic problem” already in that state.
