Savannah residents voice concerns over Georgia Power’s ties to proposed OpenAI data center

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Coastal Georgia residents packed a standing-room-only forum Tuesday to voice environmental, health, and cost concerns over Georgia Power’s connection to a massive data center proposed for Effingham County.

SEE: OpenAI announces plans for a new data center campus in Effingham County

The Georgia Public Service Commission hosted the public meeting in Savannah to explain state utility regulations and outline the commission’s oversight role regarding large-load commercial customers expanding in Georgia.

Tensions ran high as residents questioned whether the project’s impact on their community was worth a projected $15 monthly bill savings from Georgia Power, which utility officials estimate will not take effect until 2029. Several attendees shared firsthand accounts of environmental and health worries, arguing those issues would worsen if the data center moves forward.

“I think it’s reached a point where I think that these officials do not listen. They continue to make the same decisions regardless of how much the public comes out, but that’s not going to deter me from showing up every single time,” said Michael Hawthorne, a campaign organizing strategist with the Sierra Club. “We need to start making decisions that are about making clean energy affordable.”