OpenAI pledges to cover power costs at its data centers and drops official NDAs
OpenAI published a National Community Compact and a Compute Campus Policy Blueprint on November 5, 2026. AI Weekly reports that the company will shoulder the full electricity bill and the infrastructure its sites require at every data center it owns and runs, and that it will stop asking public officials to sign nondisclosure agreements. Security details, trade secrets and competitively sensitive material stay exempt from that ban. The compact also offers financial assurances so other utility customers are not charged if a project is delayed, reduced or dropped. Partner-built capacity, such as SB Energy's Ohio campus, falls outside these commitments.
The release came two days after the November 3 vote. CNBC, citing Ballotpedia, reported 41 local data center measures in 10 states, with voters backing restrictions or rejecting pro-development proposals in 40 of them. Harwood, North Dakota, was the only exception. OpenAI says it prepared the package before the ballots were counted, and it wants lawmakers to write comparable rules into statute.
The operating terms go beyond cost. OpenAI says it will cut its power draw during peak demand, return electricity to the grid where possible, and set local hiring goals where the workforce allows. It also commits to publishing construction plans, noise, traffic and lighting effects, and water and energy use. In Georgia, Georgia Power can reduce deliveries to the planned Effingham County campus by up to 1,000 megawatts during high grid demand. The pledges are not legally binding, and the company has not listed dollar amounts for power costs.
Why it matters
For founders, power cost is now a siting and timing variable rather than a line item that can be passed to a utility later. A company that owns its campuses carries the full bill and must post financial assurances before major spending, which raises the capital needed per megawatt and changes how projects are financed. Dropping NDAs with officials means land, water and grid talks happen in public, which can lengthen permitting but reduces the risk of a reversal after a vote.
For operators and investors, the blueprint asks legislators to make these terms the rule for every large developer, so firms that build their own capacity may face the same floor. Partner-built sites sit outside the pledge, which makes ownership structure a diligence question. Investors should expect host towns to ask for disclosures on noise, water and energy, and should price in the added time that public review requires.
Key points
- 1OpenAI pledges to pay full electricity and required infrastructure costs at campuses it owns and operates.
- 2Financial assurances would protect other utility customers if a project is delayed, reduced or canceled.
- 3Public officials will no longer be asked to sign NDAs, with exceptions for security, trade secrets and competitively sensitive material.
- 4Ballot measures on November 3 limited or rejected data center development in 40 of 41 local votes across 10 states.
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