Effingham data center open house draws crowd - and questions
OpenAI held an open house in Rincon, Georgia, for its proposed $20 billion Project Camellia data center campus, drawing over 500 residents. Many attendees protested and raised significant concerns about water usage, electricity demand, noise, and a perceived lack of transparency from local government bodies. The project is planned for 1,400 acres and is estimated to require up to 3.2 gigawatts of electricity.
OpenAI hosted a public meeting in Rincon, Georgia, to address community concerns regarding its proposed $20 billion, 1,400-acre Project Camellia data center campus. The event, held at the Effingham College and Career Academy, drew over 500 attendees inside, with hundreds more protesting outside. Residents expressed strong opposition, primarily citing worries about the facility's substantial water and electricity demands—estimated at up to 3.2 gigawatts—and potential noise pollution.
A major complaint centered on the perceived lack of transparency from Effingham County and the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority (IDA), with residents like Chris Barber stating they learned of the project only after key decisions seemed to have been made. Despite OpenAI's efforts to provide information through engineers and executives, many attendees felt their specific questions, particularly about local impacts on wells and proximity to schools, remained unanswered. Environmental groups, such as Rookery and Roots Conservancy founder Isaiah Scott, also voiced concerns about the project's scale in a "biodiversity hotspot."
While some residents, like Nicholas Dowling, expressed excitement about the job opportunities and economic development the data center could bring, others, including William McDonald, found OpenAI's responses too general. The company plans for Project Camellia to be operational by 2028. The event highlighted a significant division within the community regarding industrial growth and the arrival of large-scale AI infrastructure.