In 2014, Elon Musk sharply criticized the entire fossil fuel industry. Back then, he claimed that the lack of a price on carbon emissions made this area artificially profitable. According to him, petrochemical engineers earned a lot of money completely undeservedly. However, the situation now looks completely different for many. Electrek has discovered an unexpected and very big deal. Back in May of this year, Musk secretly acquired the energy company APR Energy. This business specializes in providing mobile gas turbines. Official documents from the US Federal Trade Commission confirm this fact. The papers clearly state that it was Musk himself who acted as the buying party. He acted as a private individual, not through his well-known corporations. Neither SpaceX nor artificial intelligence developer xAI were involved in the deal. This legal approach ensured maximum confidentiality of the entire operation.

The main reason for this purchase lies in the growing appetites of artificial intelligence. Modern AI models, including Musk's own development called Grok, require enormous amounts of energy. Traditional urban power grids often cannot cope with such a sudden and huge load. Earlier this year, the entrepreneur has already received official permission to operate dozens of gas turbines. These installations are necessary for the stable power supply of its large-scale data centers. The purchase of the profile company APR Energy logically and completely completes this strategy. He now has direct access to reliable mobile power generation sources. This allows him to fully control the energy security of his technological projects. Complete independence from external suppliers is becoming a critical factor for the development of AI.

Despite the huge scale of the transaction, there is absolute information silence around it. The company has not launched any advertising campaigns or official high-profile press releases. Even a thorough search for the entrepreneur's name on the APR Energy website does not yield any results. At the same time, we are talking about a very serious and large business. According to industry analysts, the market value of this company is about one billion dollars. The company employs approximately eight hundred qualified employees. This kind of secrecy is in stark contrast to Musk's usual style, which is fond of loud announcements. He is probably well aware of the potential reputational risk. Investments in fossil fuels directly contradict his previous environmental statements. However, the pragmatic needs of his AI empire have taken over from past rhetoric.