Residents of a small Georgia county are asking courts to examine how a $20 billion OpenAI data center plan was approved. Three lawsuits filed since September target the project and the local officials who supported it.
The project, called Project Camellia, became public on July 22, 2026. By that time, it had reportedly been the subject of nearly nine months of private talks covered by confidentiality agreements.
Residents say the plan reached their community without anyone asking them first. The lawsuits now question each step of the approval process.
How the Deal Came Together
Project Camellia is a joint investment by OpenAI and Octans GA LLC. The campus is planned for a 1,440-acre site in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, near the town of Rincon.
The facility is expected to cover 4.4 million square feet. Once complete, it could need up to 3.2 gigawatts of power.
Construction is set to begin in 2028. The project is planned across five development phases running through 2034.
Each phase could create at least 80 permanent jobs. Tax incentives linked to the project are estimated at $870 million to $900 million over 15 years.
During the private talks, the project was reportedly discussed under codenames. One of those names was “Project Gateway,” according to the plaintiffs.
Three Lawsuits, Three Targets
Residents and environmental advocacy groups began filing lawsuits in early September 2026. Each case focuses on a different part of how the deal was approved.
The first lawsuit challenges a county zoning ordinance. Plaintiffs say the rule allows data centers on industrial land without public hearings, which they argue should be required.
The second lawsuit names the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, known as the IDA. It claims the IDA broke Georgia’s Open Meetings Act and Open Records Act.
In that case, plaintiffs point to the use of codenames during meetings. They also say meeting agendas were changed without prior notice to the public.
Defendants across the cases include county officials as well as the IDA. The first two lawsuits do not name OpenAI directly in the claims described.
The third lawsuit goes further than the first two. It names OpenAI, local officials and the IDA as defendants.
That complaint was filed between November 6 and November 9, 2026. It alleges conspiracy, fraud and civil racketeering tied to the deal.
All of the claims in the three lawsuits are allegations. No court has ruled on any of them so far.
