Senator Warnock Visits Future OpenAI Data Center Site, Calls for Statewide Moratorium

Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock met with residents in Effingham County to discuss the impact of OpenAI’s proposed data center on their community

In July, OpenAI announced it would construct a 3.2-gigawatt data center in Effingham County, Georgia

Senator Warnock called for a moratorium on data center construction that can only be lifted for specific projects if certain safeguards around utility bills, transparency, and pollution are put in place 

VIDEO: Senator Reverend Warnock Calls for Statewide Data Center Moratorium

Senator Reverend Warnock: “The lack of transparency here in Effingham County and in counties across our state and across the country is unacceptable, and that’s why today I’m calling for a moratorium on data centers”

U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) visited the proposed site of OpenAI’s new 3.2-gigawatt data center in Effingham County. Senator Warnock viewed the site of the proposed project with Effingham resident John Smith who lives across the street from the site. Then, Senator Warnock met with several residents and members of the Protect Effingham Alliance who raised serious concerns about the impact of OpenAI’s plan on their community, specifically higher utility costs and more water, light, and noise pollution.

After speaking with local residents, Senator Warnock announced his support for a statewide moratorium on data center construction.

Under Senator Warnock’s proposal, the moratorium can be lifted for a specific project only if:

• There are no water or electric bill increases because of the data center
• There are no sweetheart tax giveaways to developers
• There are no NDAs
• The data center will not cause air and water pollution
• There is no ambiguity around noise and light pollution

“Data center developers across the country are not operating in partnership with communities, and that’s why everyday citizens on both sides of the aisle are rightly and equally concerned about this,” said Senator Warnock. “The lack of transparency here in Effingham County and in counties across our state and across the country is unacceptable, and that’s why today I’m calling for a moratorium on data centers.”

Earlier this year, OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, announced plans to construct a new 1,400-acre data center in Effingham County, Georgia. The $20 billion proposal, named “Project Camellia,” will require 3.2 gigawatts, the equivalent of providing power for 2.3 million homes.

Effingham County residents were effectively excluded from the decision-making process, despite well-founded concerns that “Project Camellia” could raise electricity rates, create disruptive light and noise pollution, and otherwise affect the local community and nearby elementary school.

Earlier this year, Senator Warnock sent a letter calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to provide local communities with tools, resources, best practices, and protections as they negotiate with multi-billion-dollar data center corporations. Specifically, this letter focused on concerns about data centers straining community water supplies, especially while Georgia experiences a historic drought.