Project Camellia OpenAI
Effingham County, GA
Project Camellia (OpenAI Data Center)
OpenAI. Approved. 3200 MW.
OpenAI announced a 20 billion dollar, roughly 3.2 gigawatt data center campus called Project Camellia at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon in Effingham County, planned across about 1,400 acres of the larger 2,600 acre hub. Georgia Public Service Commission staff approved the underlying Georgia Power supply contract on August 27, 2026, with added ratepayer protections including a no cost shift guarantee, minimum bill and termination payment terms, and semiannual public reporting. The site is already zoned industrial so no rezoning vote was required, though further county and state permitting steps remain before construction begins around 2028.
- Status
- Approved
- Operator
- OpenAI
- Applicant on record
- OpenAI
- Location
- Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, Rincon, Effingham County, GA (approximate, city center)
- Size
- 3200 MW, 1400 acres
- Cooling
- Not reported
- Utility
- Georgia Power
- First reported
- 2026-07
- Last updated
- September 2, 2026
Sources
- Georgia Power deal to power OpenAI data center near Savannah is approved, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2026-08
- PSC boosts safeguards in Georgia Power's massive contract with OpenAI, The Current, 2026-08-27
- $20 billion OpenAI data center to open in Effingham County, The Current, 2026-07-22
What it would mean nearby
The cooling design has not been reported. If it uses evaporative cooling, a 3200 MW facility would draw roughly 10.1 million to 36.5 million gallons of water a day, about what 116,700 households use.
Base rate freeze through 2028 (docket 44280) holds base rates flat from July 2025. Fuel and storm riders are separate and can still move. 2026 fuel and storm cost settlement (docket 44280, 56765) takes about $4.04 a month off a typical bill from June 2026. The December 2025 certification of about 9,885 MW of new generation for data center load came with a promise of at least $8.50 a month of downward pressure on a typical bill in 2029 through 2031, because large customers are meant to carry more of the cost. Consumer groups warned it could instead add around $20 a month if the projected data center demand does not show up.
For a noise estimate and the three distance rings, check your own address.
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