Data Center Census

Rincon, Effingham County, GA

Project Camellia

Also known as OpenAI Effingham County data center

ProposedState DRI review completed; county site plan consideration postponed at developer request while county drafts conditional-use rules
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

OpenAI plans a $20 billion, 3.2 GW data center campus in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub outside Rincon, with four buildings totaling 4.4 million square feet and power from Georgia Power delivered in phases from 2028 to 2032. The project completed Georgia's Development of Regional Impact review in September 2026, but county site plan consideration was postponed. It has drawn large public opposition over secrecy, power costs and environmental impacts.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity3.21 GW [5]
peak electrical load from Georgia Power per DRI report; OpenAI cites 3.2 GW
Site size1,400 acres [5]
per DRI report; earlier reporting described a 2,600-acre campus [2]
Floor area4.4 million sq ft [5]
total across four buildings
Buildings4 [5]
Stated investment$20 billion [2]
Permanent jobs (promised)400 [5]
full-time at full completion
Target completionPower delivered in phases 2028-2032 [1]

Power

UtilityGeorgia Power [1]
On-site generation typediesel backup only (on-site emergency diesel generators; no regular on-site generation anticipated) [5]
Source excerpt
“Aside from on-site emergency backup diesel generators, the applicant stated it does not anticipate regular on-site power generation.”

Water

Water use30,000 gal/day [5]
approximately, per DRI report
Water sourceEffingham County Water Treatment Plant, without line extensions [5]
Source excerpt
“The campus plans to utilize a closed-loop cooling system to minimize water loss, served by the Effingham County Water Treatment Plant without requiring line extensions.”
Coolingclosed-loop [1]

Money & incentives

Tax incentives50% property tax abatement for 15 years; $80 million in community benefits [2]
Tax abatement value$900 million [8]
"nearly $900 million" as stated in the complaint filed by One Hundred Miles and residents
Source excerpt
“According to the lawsuit, it would be the largest data center in the Southeast and comes with nearly $900 million in tax abatements.”
Payments / community benefitsIDA PILOT assesses the OpenAI affiliate at 25% of fair market value instead of the standard 40% for the first 15 years of each project phase [6]
WTOC describes this as a 37.5% annual reduction, which differs from the 50% abatement figure in the record's existing tax_incentive entry
Source excerpt
“While standard property taxes in Georgia are calculated based on 40% of a property's fair market value, this special formula assesses the OpenAI affiliate at just 25%. The discount effectively slashes OpenAI's property taxes by 37.5% annually for the first 15 years of each project phase.”
Payments / community benefitsAmended PILOT fixes the rate at 32 mills for the 15-year payment period; separate agreement sends $21 million to the county and $9 million to the school district, with up to $90 million over three years for infrastructure and economic development [7]
approved by the Effingham IDA at an Aug. 31 special called meeting
Source excerpt
“The amendment replaces that fluctuating rate with a fixed rate of 32 mills for the project's 15-year payment period.”

Local decisions & site

ZoningSite plan approval requested for three parcels zoned industrial and planned development [5]
Source excerpt
“Developer Octans GA LLC is requesting site plan approval to construct four buildings totaling 4.4 million square feet across three parcels currently zoned for industrial and planned development.”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Lawsuits

One Hundred Miles, Inc. et al. v. Effingham County Industrial Development Authority and Octans GApending [8]
A conservation group and five residents, represented by SELC, allege the IDA violated Georgia's Open Meetings and Open Records Acts in approving the OpenAI affiliate's tax abatement and land deal, and seek to void those agreements.
Effingham County Superior Court · filed Sep 21, 2026
Source excerpt
“A conservation group and five Effingham County residents are suing local officials, saying they broke Georgia's open government laws to secretly push through a massive OpenAI data center deal. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Effingham County Superior Court, names the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority and Octans GA, an OpenAI affiliate, as defendants.”

Timeline

  1. OpenAI first contacts Effingham Industrial Development Authority (fall 2025) [4]

  2. Effingham County Industrial Development Authority signs a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI affiliate Octans GA, LLC [6]

  3. OpenAI publicly announces Project Camellia [1]

  4. Nearly 1,000 people attend public open house in Rincon, most opposing [3]

  5. Development of Regional Impact (DRI) form submitted to state [4]

  6. Effingham County commissioners approve Ordinance 2026-352 permitting data centers in industrial zones [9]

  7. Coastal Regional Commission's full DRI report released; county site plan consideration postponed at developer request [5]

  8. One Hundred Miles and five residents sue the Effingham IDA and Octans GA alleging open-government law violations [8]

Issues raised

  • Residents objected to deal being negotiated without public input; petitions against the project gathered over 10,000 signatures [3][4]
  • Residents raised concerns about noise, light pollution, traffic, environmental impacts and electricity costs [3]
  • DRI report notes portions of the site in the 100-year floodplain, wetlands, and state-protected Hooded Pitcherplant [5]

Sources

  1. Building AI infrastructure with the Effingham County community
    OpenAI · Jul 22, 2026 · company
  2. $20 billion OpenAI data center to open in Effingham County
    The Current · Jul 22, 2026 · news
  3. OpenAI data center project sparks outrage among Effingham County residents
    The Current · Jul 24, 2026 · news
  4. As Effingham County data center plan advances, next step is state evaluation process
    The Current · Jul 25, 2026 · news
  5. State reveals full DRI report on OpenAI's Effingham County data center project
    WTOC · Sep 16, 2026 · news
  6. Records show Effingham County leaders finalized massive tax break for $20B OpenAI data center day before public announcement
    WTOC · Jul 30, 2026 · news
  7. Effingham Industrial Authority Approves OpenAI Tax Relief, $90M Deal
    Effingham Herald · Aug 31, 2026 · news
  8. Georgia group sues over OpenAI data center deal in Effingham County
    WTOC · Sep 21, 2026 · news
  9. Second Lawsuit Targets Effingham IDA Over OpenAI Data Center
    Effingham Herald · Sep 2026 · news