Effingham commissioners to vote on OpenAI data center site plan Tuesday
Effingham County commissioners are scheduled to vote on OpenAI’s proposed 1,347-acre Project Camellia data center campus near Rincon. The proposal has received county staff support but faces public concerns about electricity demand, water use, flooding and wetlands.
The Effingham County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote Nov. 3 on the site plan for Project Camellia, an approximately 1,347-acre data center campus proposed by OpenAI affiliate Octans GA LLC near Rincon. The Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub development would include six data center buildings, a warehouse, an operations building, substations, electrical yards and related infrastructure.
County planning staff recommended approval, saying the application meets applicable industrial zoning and site-plan requirements. The proposal has drawn public opposition and questions about power consumption, water use, flooding and wetlands. OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said the company intends to maintain a local presence and engage with the community during planning and construction, while county officials noted that the site-plan approval would not authorize work requiring a federal wetlands permit before that permit is issued.