# OpenAI Unveils 3.2GW 'Project Camellia' Data Center Campus in Effingham County, Georgia > Source: > Published: 2026-07-23 12:24:23.464736+00:00 # OpenAI Unveils 3.2GW 'Project Camellia' Data Center Campus in Effingham County, Georgia - OpenAI will build a 3.2GW, four-building data center campus on 1,400 acres at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub in Effingham County, Georgia, with at least $20 billion in capital investment [[1]](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/openai-reveals-32gw-data-center-project-in-effingham-county-georgia/).[[2]](https://thecurrentga.org/2026/07/22/20-billion-openai-data-center-to-open-in-effingham-county/) - Georgia Power will supply power under a 25-year agreement delivered in phases from 2028 through 2032, with OpenAI covering all infrastructure and electric service costs .[[3]](https://www.thegeorgiavirtue.com/local-news-south-georgia/georgia-power-signs-25-year-agreement-with-open-ai-for-project-camellia-in-effingham-county/) - OpenAI has committed up to 1GW of flexible demand response, described by Georgia Power as among the largest single-facility demand response commitments in the U.S. .[[3]](https://www.thegeorgiavirtue.com/local-news-south-georgia/georgia-power-signs-25-year-agreement-with-open-ai-for-project-camellia-in-effingham-county/) - The project includes $80 million in community benefits and $71 million in Codex credits for Georgia students, and is expected to create 400 initial permanent jobs scaling to 1,000 .[[2]](https://thecurrentga.org/2026/07/22/20-billion-openai-data-center-to-open-in-effingham-county/) - Bloomberg reports the full build-out will exceed $30 billion, making it one of the largest single AI campus commitments ever disclosed .[[4]](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-22/openai-plans-to-spend-over-30-billion-on-georgia-data-center) OpenAI on July 22 announced Project Camellia, a 3.2-gigawatt data center campus in Effingham County, Georgia, representing at least $20 billion in private capital investment. The four-building campus will occupy approximately 1,400 acres within the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon, making it one of the largest single AI computing facilities ever announced in the United States [[1]](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/openai-reveals-32gw-data-center-project-in-effingham-county-georgia/) [2]. The company has signed a 25-year power supply agreement with Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, with electricity delivery scheduled in phases between 2028 and 2032. OpenAI will pay the full cost of electric infrastructure and service required for the project, shielding existing Georgia Power customers from any rate impact [3]. Bloomberg reported that OpenAI Vice President of Compute Strategy Sachin Katti estimates the project will cost more than $30 billion at full build-out. OpenAI has not yet selected a finance and development partner for the Georgia campus, which sits within the company's broader Stargate infrastructure program [4]. ## The Site Project Camellia will comprise four buildings covering approximately 101 acres within the 2,600-acre Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, a site already zoned for industrial use in Effingham County [2]. The campus is located just outside Rincon, roughly 25 miles northwest of Savannah. OpenAI's facility will use a closed-loop water system for cooling, which the company says will avoid diverting water from local communities or raising the temperature of local water sources [2]. The design is intended to minimize water consumption compared to conventional evaporative cooling approaches used at many hyperscale data centers. ## Power & Demand Response The 25-year power supply agreement with Georgia Power is structured around phased delivery of 3.2GW between 2028 and 2032 [3]. Several hundred megawatts are expected to come online starting in 2028, with the remainder ramping through the early 2030s. A defining feature of the contract is OpenAI's commitment to up to 1,000 MW of flexible demand response, allowing Georgia Power to reduce deliveries to the campus during periods of high grid demand [3]. Georgia Power described this as 'among the largest single-facility demand response commitments in the country,' noting it could reduce the need for additional generation resources and potentially lower long-term costs for other customers . [[3]](https://www.thegeorgiavirtue.com/local-news-south-georgia/georgia-power-signs-25-year-agreement-with-open-ai-for-project-camellia-in-effingham-county/)The arrangement follows January 2025 updates to Georgia Public Service Commission regulations that require large data center customers to bear the full cost of infrastructure and service, rather than socializing those costs across existing ratepayers [3]. ## Community Commitments & Tax Incentives OpenAI has committed $80 million toward a community benefits fund covering education, public safety, healthcare, and small business resources in Effingham County [2]. The company also pledged up to $71 million in credits for its Codex coding software at Georgia colleges, universities, and technical schools . [[2]](https://thecurrentga.org/2026/07/22/20-billion-openai-data-center-to-open-in-effingham-county/)The project is expected to create approximately 400 initial permanent positions in operations, maintenance, security, and data safety roles, with the potential to scale to 1,000 permanent jobs. Thousands of temporary construction jobs are anticipated during the build-out phase [2]. Effingham County approved a 50% property tax abatement for 15 years. Despite the reduction, OpenAI is expected to become the county's largest taxpayer, generating revenue that could fund 'Project Zero,' the county's initiative to reduce average homeowner property tax rates by 40% as early as next year [2]. ## Stargate Context & What's Next Project Camellia sits within OpenAI's broader Stargate infrastructure program, the multi-hundred-billion-dollar initiative announced in early 2025 to build AI compute capacity across the United States. OpenAI has not yet selected a finance and development partner for the Georgia project [4]. A public forum is scheduled for late July 2026 at Effingham County College and Career Academy, where residents will have the opportunity to raise questions about the project [2]. Some community members have already expressed frustration over perceived lack of transparency during the planning process . [[2]](https://thecurrentga.org/2026/07/22/20-billion-openai-data-center-to-open-in-effingham-county/)At 3.2GW contracted capacity, Project Camellia would rank among the largest single-site power commitments for any data center globally, exceeding the scale of most hyperscaler campus announcements to date. For context, 3.2GW is enough electricity to power more than 2 million homes [2]. ## Companies mentioned ## Further sources [[1] Data Center Dynamics - OpenAI reveals 3.2GW data center project in Effingham Co… ↗](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/openai-reveals-32gw-data-center-project-in-effingham-county-georgia/) [[2] The Current GA / Effingham Herald - $20 billion OpenAI data center to open in E… ↗](https://thecurrentga.org/2026/07/22/20-billion-openai-data-center-to-open-in-effingham-county/) [[3] The Georgia Virtue - Georgia Power Signs 25-Year Agreement With OpenAI for Proj… ↗](https://www.thegeorgiavirtue.com/local-news-south-georgia/georgia-power-signs-25-year-agreement-with-open-ai-for-project-camellia-in-effingham-county/) [[4] Bloomberg - OpenAI Plans to Spend Over $30 Billion on Georgia Data Center ↗](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-22/openai-plans-to-spend-over-30-billion-on-georgia-data-center) The stories that matter, in one email. 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