OpenAI plans to build a $20B data center campus in Effingham County. It could be Georgia's largest yet

Caption

The Savannah River runs on the edge of Effingham County, full of wetlands and floodplain zones.

Credit: Effingham County

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. — Artificial intelligence company OpenAI, famous for ChatGPT, plans to open a data center campus in Effingham County, just a 45-minute drive northwest from Savannah.

The 1,400-acre property will likely be Georgia's largest data center yet, located at Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub within five miles of the Savannah River.

According to Georgia Power’s statement today, its agreement to service OpenAI is among the largest single-facility commitments in the country.

The center is projected to use 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of energy over four years from 2028 to 2032, a third of the planned 10-GW expansion that Georgia Power was granted in December. 

The announcement comes on the heels of Effingham County Industrial Development Authority's Tuesday night decision that OpenAI would receive a 50% property tax abatement for 15 years — an announcement that finally surfaced after weeks of uncertainty.

Savannah Riverkeeper executive director Tonya Bonitatibus said that rumors about a data center locally began about two months ago when data center ordinance discussions began.

"We knew there was probably a data center coming to Effingham," she said. "But now, it is clearly a reality."

Effingham County already seemed to be building up the water infrastructure required for large-load users.

A $320 million water treatment facility is still being developed to siphon up to 24 million gallons of water per day from the Savannah River, partially to feed Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America’s electric vehicle plant just west of Effingham in Bryan County.

"I think there needs to be some really hard questions about what we think is actually going to be left in the Savannah River after all of this, because it's not just Effingham," Bonitatibus said. 

Just north and across the river, the Savannah River Site announced a 1 GW data center, and another is planned for nearby Columbia County, S.C. 

An expanding power grid appears to be another convenience for the data center in Effingham. 

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Georgia Power's Plant McIntosh is prepared to build an 11th combined-cycle unit in Rincon, Ga.

Credit: Georgia Power

In Rincon, the most populated city in Effingham County, Georgia Power’s Plant McIntosh is preparing for a new combined-cycle unit, one that energy expert Lucy Metz stated last year is the costliest she has ever seen.

While the important pieces appear to be in place and in progress, Bonitatibus believes the news is just a rather large cherry on top for the county's transition from wetlands that absorb floodwaters during storms to a concrete jungle.

"Where wetlands that were once absorbing, cleaning water, keeping things from flooding are now concrete, and this is another 1,400 acres of concrete," she said. "The question needs to be what is going to be left of Effingham, period."

OpenAI hopes to assuage concerns about its data center proposal named "Project Camellia" by gifting $80 million in "direct support" to the community during the project's lifespan.

It also encourages residents to attend a meeting this Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Effingham County College and Career Academy.