Coffee, concerns and ‘Camellia’: Rincon meets on OpenAI plan

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) -A packed coffee shop in Rincon turned into a planning meeting Monday night as Effingham County residents organized opposition to OpenAI’s proposed $20 billion data center.

The meetup comes less than a week after OpenAI announced plans for the project in Effingham County. About 100 people gathered at Just Love Coffee and Cafe, with several attendees saying their biggest frustration is they did not have a say before the announcement.

Effingham County resident Wade Britt said he believes rural communities are being targeted because it can be harder for residents to organize quickly.

“I want to call it the war of western aggression. Silicon Valley is coming to the South to take over,” Britt said. “They’re coming to rural areas like us because we can’t organize very effectively and take action.”

Britt said the response is based on what residents say they have learned so far about the proposal.

“I don’t want to say this is response to fear but it’s a response to we don’t like what we know now,” he said.

In the crowd, residents raised concerns about cost of living, water resources and whether a project this size can come to the county without changing daily life.

Amy Whitehurst, the owner of Just Love Coffee and Cafe, said she uses AI tools but wants stronger guarantees that the project will not disrupt families.

“I’m not anti-AI or anything but there is a concern about making sure it doesn’t disrupt our homes and our families and our health,” Whitehurst said.

Organizers said Monday’s meeting was a starting point and they expect more residents to take a position as additional information becomes public.

“I think as people become increasingly aware of it, the positions will harden, one way or the other,” Britt said.

OpenAI has said the project will not raise electric rates for residents and that water use will be minimal, but residents at Monday’s meeting said they want those promises verified as plans move forward.