"Residents and environmental advocates are challenging a county’s handling of a proposed data center campus, citing concerns over public input, environmental impacts and electricity costs."
"A $20 billion data center campus announced in July near Rincon, Georgia, is now facing its second lawsuit from Effingham County residents and environmental advocates.
OpenAI, best known for creating ChatGPT, is planning a massive campus that would include about 4.4 million square feet of data-center space 30 miles northwest of Savannah. The project, known as Project Camellia, is expected to require up to 3.2 gigawatts of electricity and to be built in phases beginning in 2028.
The project has received key approvals from the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority and the county Board of Commissioners, although the county has not yet given final approval to the site’s development plan. The Industrial Development Authority also approved a deal giving OpenAI a 50 percent property-tax break for 15 years, which the latest lawsuit estimates could be worth nearly $900 million."
Ryan Krugman reports reports for Inside Climate News September 22, 2026.
