In the region: Effingham County tables OpenAI Project Camellia data center plan
The Effingham County Board of Commissioners unanimously tabled a vote on OpenAI’s Project Camellia data center site plan until Nov. 17, citing unresolved questions about noise berms, safety, water and sewer service, wetlands and backup generators. Residents and opposition organizers welcomed the delay, while a petition drive seeks stricter data center regulations and commissioners announced they will discuss a possible moratorium.
The Effingham County Board of Commissioners in Springfield unanimously postponed consideration of OpenAI’s Project Camellia site plan until Nov. 17. Commissioner Roger Burdette requested the delay after questioning whether the plan included a written commitment for a 20-foot berm along Hodgeville Road and seeking clearer assurances about noise mitigation and safety. The proposed 1,347-acre campus at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub would include six data center buildings, substations, cooling infrastructure and related facilities.
Commissioners also raised questions about water and sewer service, wetland impacts and backup generators. OpenAI’s representative, Rich Modliszewski of Octans GA LLC, said generators would be limited to life-safety and security systems, but deferred several technical questions to engineers. Residents, including Protect Effingham co-founders Alexis Lane and Anna Lee HeidtHarris, supported the tabling while expressing broader concerns about the project. Commissioner Beth Helmly said the board would discuss a data center moratorium at its next meeting, and resident Jerri Howell said a petition seeking code changes and a ban on data centers in all zoning districts had collected more than 1,500 signatures.