To support a data center project in Georgia, OpenAI is contracting with Georgia Power for 3.2 gigawatts of power which will be delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032.
Project Camellia is a long-term data center project that OpenAI is designing and developing in Effingham County, Georgia.
In a July 22 post on its website, OpenAI said it recognizes “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.”
Electricity Rates
"Georgia families will not subsidize this project. OpenAI will pay the full cost of the infrastructure and electric-service costs required to serve it," it said.
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," OpenAI said.
Water use
The project will use a closed-loop water system, which recirculates water rather than continuously withdrawing and discharging. The water used will not divert water from local communities, the company said.
OpenAI said it will also provide $80 million in community benefits over the life of the project and will make up to $71 million in credits for Codex available to eligible Georgia college, community college, and technical school students. Codex is OpenAI’s agentic coding tool, now available within ChatGPT, that helps people build software and complete technical projects.
