Effingham Residents Press Commissioners Over OpenAI Data Center

Power, hurricanes and emergency response

Weber raised concerns about power outages during hurricanes, battery storage and the county’s ability to respond to emergencies.

“The concentration of the infrastructure being built around the data center, I believe you’re setting up the more rural parts of the county for catastrophic failures,” Weber said. “When a hurricane comes through, not if, but when, we’re already without power for eight to 14 days and I'm terrified that’s going to increase when the data center’s power is prioritized over residential and rural customers.”

During another discussion about the potential benefits of having a data center in the already industrially zoned area, Weber interrupted.

“We would rather pay taxes than sell our souls and sell our lives to OpenAI,” Weber said.

Callanan responded that the company had discussed providing additional equipment and training for local emergency responders, particularly because battery fires require different response techniques.

Utility costs and water concerns

Water and utility costs also became a major point of contention.

Nancy Walmsley, a county resident, questioned whether increased demand for natural gas and electricity could eventually translate into higher utility bills for residents, saying OpenAI’s promises would “fall flat.”