OpenAI data center campus near Rincon (Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub)
Also called: Project Camellia, Project Gateway, Octans Georgia
OpenAI plans a $20 billion AI data center on about 1,400 acres near Rincon. It would use 3.2 gigawatts of power from Georgia Power, more than any other customer in the state. The deal was made in secret, and two lawsuits now challenge the zoning and the development authority's vote.
Where things stand: Development authority signed the deal in July 2026 and the state utility board's staff approved the power contract in August. The county's site plan review was postponed in September, and two lawsuits are pending.
🕒 Latest update (Sept 21, 2026): Five residents and the group One Hundred Miles sued the development authority over secrecy and asked a judge to throw out its deals with Octans Georgia.
What we know
- 📍 WhereSavannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon, south of GA 119; less than 1 mile from Blandford Elementary School, Unincorporated Effingham County, Effingham County
- 🏢 CompanyOctans Georgia LLC (OpenAI's local company)
- 🏛️ Owned byOpenAI
- 👤 Built forOpenAI
- 🌳 Size1,440 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs3,210 megawatts (about as much as 2,568,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromGeorgia Power will supply about 3.2 gigawatts (3,210 MW in the state filing) in phases from 2028 to 2032 under a 25-year contract. That is about as much power as 2 million homes.
- 💧 WaterEffingham County water plant, per the state filing. New wells into the Floridan aquifer are not allowed in this 'red zone'; the county is building a Savannah River water plant. · 30,000 gallons a day
- ❄️ CoolingClosed-loop dry cooling (heat sent to outdoor air, like a car radiator); no evaporative cooling towers planned, per OpenAI
- 💵 Cost$20 billion
- 💸 Tax breaks50% property tax cut for 15 years from the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority. County leaders still expect about $870 million in property taxes over 15 years. OpenAI also promised an $80 million community fund.
- 👷 Jobs promised400
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- How much water will the cooling system need for its first fill and each year after, and where will it come from? 🙋 I'll find out
- When will Effingham County vote on the site plan? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will new power plants or high-voltage power lines be built to serve it, and who pays? 🙋 I'll find out
- Did any official sign a secret deal (NDA) during the talks? 🙋 I'll find out
- How many diesel backup generators will the site have? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- July 2026Effingham County Industrial Development Authority voted on the deal with OpenAI's company Octans Georgia, including a 50% property tax break.
- July 22, 2026OpenAI and county leaders announced the $20 billion, 3.2 gigawatt data center. The county filed a state regional impact review (DRI) the same day.
- Aug 27, 2026Georgia Public Service Commission staff approved Georgia Power's contract to serve the data center, with added protections for other customers.
- Sept 1, 2026The regional commission finished its state regional impact review (DRI) finding.
- Sept 3, 2026Three residents sued the county, saying it skipped a required public hearing before allowing data centers in the industrial zone.
- Sept 14, 2026The county pulled the site plan review from the Sept. 15 commission agenda to allow more review time.
- Sept 21, 2026Five residents and the group One Hundred Miles sued the development authority over secrecy and asked a judge to throw out its deals with Octans Georgia.
Local votes and rules
⚖️ Court case
Five residents and the group One Hundred Miles sued the county's development authority. They say it did not give proper notice or a real agenda before the July vote that tied county land to OpenAI's company and gave it a 50% property tax break. They ask a judge to throw out those deals.
📌 Other
The county took the OpenAI data center site plan off its September 15 meeting agenda to give staff more time to review it. No new vote date was given in the report.
⚖️ Court case
Three residents sued Effingham County. They say the county skipped a required public hearing when it changed its industrial zoning to allow data centers with no conditions. That change cleared the way for the planned OpenAI data center near Rincon. They ask the court to throw out the change.
🤝 Agreement with the company
The county's development authority approved a tax break deal for OpenAI's planned $20 billion data center (Project Camellia) on 1,440 acres near Rincon. OpenAI gets a 50% property tax cut for 15 years, worth about $870 million, and locks in the 2026 tax rate. It must report each year and meet goals of $20 billion invested and 400 jobs at first.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- $20 billion OpenAI data center to open in Effingham County · The Current GA · July 22, 2026
- Anatomy of a secret Coastal Georgia data center deal · The Current GA · Aug 8, 2026
- PSC boosts safeguards in Georgia Power's massive contract with OpenAI · The Current GA · Aug 27, 2026
- How much water will Effingham's OpenAI data center need? A lot - but not on site. · The Current GA · Sept 1, 2026
- Citizen-led lawsuit challenges zoning for OpenAI Georgia data center · The Current GA · Sept 3, 2026
- Effingham postpones OpenAI data center site plan review · The Current GA · Sept 14, 2026
- New lawsuit alleges unfair secrecy around Effingham data center · The Current GA · Sept 21, 2026
- DRI #4801 Project Camellia - application summary · Georgia Department of Community Affairs · July 29, 2026
- DRI #4801 Project Camellia - additional information form · Georgia Department of Community Affairs · July 29, 2026
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