The Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board held its Southaven power plant hearing in Jackson on Monday, Nov. 9. The board heard evidence on the air permit for the gas-fired plant that MZX Tech, a SpaceXAI subsidiary, built to power its data centers in and near Southaven. Board members raised questions about water use, residents’ electric bills, and noise, according to a report from WAPT-TV in Jackson. As of Monday evening, no final decision had been reported.
What happened at the Southaven power plant hearing
The hearing was a formal evidentiary proceeding over the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit that allows MZX Tech to build and run air-emissions equipment at 2875 Stanton Road in Southaven. MDEQ lists the case under Air Reference No. 0680-00119. The board took up the case at 9 a.m. at MDEQ’s offices at 515 East Amite Street in Jackson.
WAPT reported that the board spent much of the session on the PSD air emissions construction permit. Board members also asked how the plant could affect water supplies and light bills, and they discussed noise concerns raised by nearby homeowners in North Mississippi.
Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson, one of the board’s seven members, said he wants answers before the project moves forward. “I do not want our light bills to go up,” Gipson told WAPT. He also said he wants to know how much water the plant will use and to make sure there are “good procedures” in place. Last week the DeSoto Times-Tribune reported that Gipson would chair the hearing.
WAPT reported that this was the first hearing the MDEQ Permit Board has held on a power facility tied to a data center.
What comes next
MDEQ’s meeting notice said the hearing could continue, if needed, after the board’s regular monthly meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the same Jackson location. Key points for residents:
No public comments: Because this is a formal evidentiary hearing under state law (Miss. Code § 49-17-29), the board does not take public comments at the meeting.
Seating is limited: The public may attend, but MDEQ says seats are first come, first served.
Decision timing: The board had not announced a ruling Monday. It could act after Tuesday’s session or later.
Why it matters for DeSoto County
The Permit Board approved MZX Tech’s construction permit in March. Since then, residents and environmental groups have challenged the plant over air quality, noise, and truck traffic. The evidentiary hearing gives opponents and the company a formal chance to present evidence before the board decides whether to keep, change, or revoke the permit.
The hearing is one of several pressures SpaceXAI faces in DeSoto County:
MDEQ has cited MZX Tech for disturbing land at its Southaven sites without stormwater permits, with possible penalties of about $6.1 million.
A federal Clean Air Act lawsuit brought by the NAACP over the plant’s gas turbines is still moving forward.
DeSoto County supervisors have pushed the company to raise its buyout offers to nearby homeowners.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk has said two more data centers near Southaven are expected to come online by December. DeSoto County News will report the board’s decision when it is announced.
