From the source
OpenAI launched the Grid Protectors Program on November 2, 2026, a national effort to make future compute campuses cut electricity demand when grids are strained.
- Georgia is the starting point, with a planned Effingham County campus and an agreement for up to 1,000 megawatts of flexible demand response.
- OpenAI said it will work with utilities, regulators and policymakers on terms that differ by location, so campus flexibility becomes a resource utilities can call on.
- The company committed to pay the full infrastructure and electric-service costs for the Effingham County project, which remains in development as the program's planned pilot.
- Georgia Power's July 22, 2026 announcement said the facility was expected to need approximately 3,200 megawatts, and OpenAI's July disclosure for Project Camellia said contracted power would arrive in phases between 2028 and 2032.
- Georgia Power said on August 26, 2026 that the contract had been approved through the Georgia Public Service Commission, projecting about $950 million in annual customer savings from 2029 across its large-load portfolio.
- OpenAI said campus flexibility cannot replace investment in new energy supply and transmission, and that it will share further commitments as they are finalized.