Nearly 1,000 Georgia residents confront OpenAI over a $20 billion data center deal cut in secret

A recent meeting in Effingham County, Georgia, drew nearly 1,000 residents to hear from OpenAI and county officials about a planned $20 billion data center, a project critics say was arranged and finalized out of public view.

Instead of a routine community listening session, the event became a prolonged clash marked by sharp questioning, protests, and complaints that county leaders had excluded residents from a decision that could significantly change the area.

What happened?

According to The Current, local officials had revealed the 2,600-acre development only days earlier, triggering the swift backlash in Effingham County.

The outlet reported that OpenAI Vice President for Communications Aaron McLear said the project would get temporary tax breaks during construction, then become the county's largest taxpayer after operations begin in 2028.

The company has also said the project will create at least 400 jobs and provide $80 million in local benefits, from sports fields to student training on OpenAI products.

For many residents at the meeting, the bigger issue appeared to be the secrecy of the process rather than the incentives and promises attached to the project.

According to The Current, that sentiment was captured by Larry Holloway, a retired paper mill worker who has spent 50 years in Effingham County: "It stinks. That's not how democracy is supposed to work."

Why does it matter?

The dispute reflects a broader tension playing out across the country as AI infrastructure rapidly expands.

Data centers can support tools that improve forecasting, streamline industry, and even help optimize clean energy systems and electricity grids. At the same time, they can require enormous amounts of power and water, putting pressure on local resources, raising energy costs, and intensifying concerns about security, misuse, and broader social consequences.

Residents raised concerns ranging from light pollution and traffic to electric bills and environmental harm.

Haley Reynolds, an environmental science teacher and former Effingham County resident, said, "I think it would be kind of hypocritical for us to develop this data center in the middle of our county when we're teaching our kids that that's not good for their future. They're going to inherit this community."

The controversy has heightened politics around data centers in coastal Georgia.

Officials have approved a moratorium in nearby Camden County, while decision-makers in Bulloch County are considering one. Residents in Port Wentworth are also pressing for one, The Current reported.

What's being done?

OpenAI and county leaders are now trying to persuade residents that the project's benefits outweigh the risks.

According to The Current, McLear said, "It's a done deal," and county officials pointed to an earlier trip to the company's Abilene, Texas, facility as part of their defense of the project.

Effingham County Commissioner Roger Burdette said that trip changed how he viewed data centers after seeing what he described as a quiet and impressive facility, according to The Current.

Brandt Herndon, chief executive officer of the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, encouraged residents to "ask the tough questions" and hear more from company representatives.

Residents are organizing as well.

By Thursday evening, a petition to stop the project had collected more than 7,000 signatures, according to The Current, and some attendees said they plan to channel their frustration into electoral pressure and continued scrutiny of transparency, energy use, and water demands.

"I've seen the industry blueprint before," Savannah resident Bill Wright told The Current. "They make promises with no guarantees, and this is something people here are going to regret."

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