‘We have a right to know’: Effingham County town hall heats up over OpenAI data center

‘We have a right to know’: Effingham County town hall heats up over OpenAI data center

Town hall organizers said that amount of electricity is comparable to the power needs of more than 2 million homes.

Effingham County residents met at the Mars Theatre on Monday night to discuss Project Camellia, a proposed $20 billion OpenAI data center campus planned near Rincon.

The town hall, hosted by Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund and One Hundred Miles, focused on the project’s potential effects on electricity rates, the regional power grid, local water resources, and surrounding communities.

Project Camellia would include four data center buildings across approximately 1,400 acres at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub. OpenAI is developing the project in partnership with Georgia Power.

County leaders have said the development could create up to 1,000 permanent jobs and generate significant tax revenue. OpenAI has contracted with Georgia Power for as much as 3.2 gigawatts of electricity, which would be delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032.

Town hall organizers said that amount of electricity is comparable to the power needs of more than 2 million homes.

The scale of the proposed energy use has placed the contract under review by the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates Georgia Power and oversees the utility’s plans for new power generation and transmission infrastructure.