Effingham County to vote on OpenAI data center site plan

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - While voters across the country head to the polls on Election Day, Effingham County commissioners will cast a critical vote of their own Tuesday on the future of Project Camellia.The Effingham County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on whether to approve a formal site plan application submitted by developer Octans GA LLC, an affiliate of OpenAI.The vote comes after months of public hearings, resident protests, legal challenges, and an abrupt postponement requested by the developer in mid-September.According to county agenda documents, the formal site plan outlines OpenAI’s multi-billion-dollar Project Camellia data center campus spanning approximately 1,347 acres across two parcels in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon. The proposed layout includes direct roadway access from Effingham Parkway, Gateway Parkway, and Hodgeville Road.Campus Blueprints and FootprintWhile early conceptual filings previously referenced a four-building dev