The southwest corner of Memphis is home to President's Island and several industrial parks, which host facilities and offices for companies like T.E. Maxson Wastewater Treatment, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and Memphis Light Gas & Water (MLGW). Until recently, the former 785,000-square-foot Electrolux manufacturing plant in Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park has been vacant for several years.
In June, Elon Musk announced his artificial intelligence company, xAI, would move into former Electrolux plant. Plans to build the world's largest supercomputer are underway. xAI is projected to be fully operational by December 2024.
The plant has raised many concerns about its high utility demand and its use of gas turbines, which some say cause air pollution.
This week on WKNO/Channel 10’s Behind the Headlines, MLGW's President & CEO Doug McGowen and Protect Our Aquifer's Science Director Scott Schoefernacker, join host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Samuel Hardiman.
Guests discuss the xAI facility, its controversies, and possible solutions—like recycling wastewater to cool the technology needed at xAI. Schoefernacker says reusing wastewater for the xAI plant could save nearly two billion gallons of water annually from the Memphis aquifer.
Additionally, guests talk about the condition of the Memphis Sand aquifer and the future of local utilities.
