Effingham County to hire firm for data center project
Effingham County commissioners voted to hire Charles Abbott Associates to represent the county and oversee the first phase of Project Camellia, a planned 1,400-acre OpenAI data center campus. Residents say they want their concerns heard as the county moves forward, including potential truck traffic and construction noise.
Effingham County commissioners approved hiring Charles Abbott Associates to represent the county’s interests and oversee inspections, plan reviews and other services for Project Camellia. The proposed project would allow OpenAI to develop a 1,400-acre data center campus in Effingham County.
The firm said it expects to assign about 12 people to provide oversight and address site issues such as truck traffic and construction noise. Charles Abbott Associates representatives said the company has experience with large industrial projects and has worked on roughly two dozen data centers nationwide. Residents expressed frustration that they did not have an opportunity to provide public comment during the relevant portion of the meeting and said they want their voices heard as county leaders proceed.