At a heated meeting Saturday, Effingham County residents aired their ongoing concerns about the proposed OpenAI data center and commissioners agreed to look into them.
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About 70 people attended the Effingham County Commission’s workshop at the commission chambers in Springfield. Another dozen or so people watched from an overflow room and still others, over 100 at times, watched online.
Almost all the attendees remain opposed to the $20 billion data center project that was announced in July as a fait accompli before residents had the opportunity to weigh in on it. That secretive process left many deeply distrustful of the project and the officials who support it. Planned for the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub in Rincon, the data center would require 3.2 gigawatts of electricity, making it one of the largest single data center campus announcements in the world.
Among the issues residents raised were low frequency noise pollution; EMF (electromagnetic field) radiation emitted by data centers; and fire hazards posed by large battery systems used as backup power.
Commissioner Beth Helmly said the meeting boosted the profile of these issues for her.
“The way I look at it is, is we’re not under a timeline here, as far as I know, to make sure that we can get these things addressed,” she said as the meeting wrapped up. “So it’s not like it has to happen tomorrow. My goal would be to say we do need to look at these things, and we do need to to examine them, and we do need to push back, and we do need to get everything in writing.”
Commissioner Roger Burdette also promised to “dig deeper and work harder” on outstanding issues like battery fires.
“We’re going to commit to doing that,” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ve had good suggestions from a lot of good people, and we’re going to do whatever whatever we need to do. And if I’m missing something, tell me. I’ll do it.”
County Manager Tim Callanan began the meeting with a look back at the history of the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, which brokered the deal with OpenAI, developers of ChatGPT. The lesson emphasized the IDA’s independence from the elected board of commissioners. He went on to discuss the project’s timelines as well as how OpenAI plans to address its water and electricity needs and how it intends to mitigate noise.
Callanan’s review proved instructional for some, who later praised it, but others weren’t having it. About halfway through the 90-minute presentation, resident Al Levey raised his voice to say, “This isn’t something we’re interested in. You’re wasting our time. You’re doing this to limit our questions.”
The crowd applauded.
Callanan continued, and when he finished, the commission did not limit questions and comments. Instead, it allowed residents to go well over the stated 3-minute each limit and stayed about an hour and a half past the advertised 1 p.m. end of the session. Close to 20 residents offered questions and comments.
Despite reassurances from commissioners, residents remain wary of OpenAI. They want more information from neutral sources, and they want contractual obligations rather than promises from the company.
“I’m against making a decision without all the facts,” said Effingham resident Denise Payne. “I don’t think we’re seeing the full impacts.”
Some, like Brett Sandusky, a mechanical engineer, offered their professional expertise.
“You ever got a question on a mechanical system? Sandusky said. “Please, please reach out. Okay, I’m not asking for a dime.” He later gave Helmly his number.
Saturday’s workshop was the third public information session in Effingham about data centers this week. On Wednesday, the Effingham Chamber of Commerce hosted a morning and an evening meeting that gathered upwards of 60 people each time in Rincon to listen to three Georgia Tech professors offer their expertise via a video connection. Others watched online through Facebook as a moderator posed questions the chamber had solicited from residents.
On Saturday, no representatives from OpenAI attended the meeting. Board Chairman Damon Rahn was also not in attendance. Burdette suggested the next information session should be with the company.
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