Building AI infrastructure with the Effingham County community

Project Camellia is a long-term datacenter project that OpenAI is designing and developing in Effingham County, Georgia. To support the data center, we are contracting with Georgia Power Company for 3.2 gigawatts of power which will be delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032.

We’re excited about the opportunity to work with this community. We also recognize that new data center projects can raise important questions, so we’ve outlined our initial commitments that will guide how we engage, develop, and operate.

1. Electricity rates will not go up for residents because of this project. Georgia families will not subsidize this project. OpenAI will pay the full cost of the infrastructure and electric-service costs required to serve it. Under Georgia Public Service Commission rules, those costs cannot be passed on to existing ratepayers. Also, this project will be one of the first data centers designed to proactively reduce its power consumption before residential customers are impacted during periods of high demand, so we can meaningfully support the reliability of Georgia Power’s electric system and support our neighbors. 

2. Water use is minimal. The project will use a closed-loop water system, which recirculates water rather than continuously withdrawing and discharging. It works like a car radiator and is intended to keep ongoing water use low. The water used will not divert water from local communities and the ongoing water needs will be for people to use in an ordinary workplace setting such as restrooms, kitchens, sanitation, and maintenance and will be similar to an office building with the same amount of employees. 

4. Being accountable. To help ensure the project meets these commitments, an annual publicly available audit by an independent firm will be conducted and released.