MANY MINDEDOpenAI locks in 3.2 gigawatts of Georgia power through 2032
OpenAI is planning a data center called Project Camellia in Effingham County, Georgia, and has signed a deal with Georgia Power for 3.2 gigawatts of electricity. The power is to be delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032. OpenAI says it will cover all project costs itself, so local power bills should not rise, and that a closed-loop water cooling system will keep water use low.
The scale is the point. A multi-gigawatt commitment is a large fraction of a regional grid's capacity, and it is one of many similar deals AI companies are chasing. OpenAI has released only vague consumption figures so far, and this brief rests on the company's own announcement.
Why it counts as friction: demand at this scale competes with everything else on the grid and shapes what new generation gets built. The 2025 emissions data shows coal generation rising to meet load. Even privately funded projects influence which power sources expand and how fast.
OpenAI has paired the deal with pledges — $80 million for local schools, healthcare, and housing, and up to $71 million in Codex credits for Georgia students. The article notes the student program doubles as a way to attract users early, and that protests against data centers are growing across the US. Watch whether the promised cost isolation and low water use hold once construction starts.
Source: The Decoder