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OpenAI has applied for a federal permit to fill 72 acres of wetlands at its Project Camellia data center campus in Georgia. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Savannah District is taking public comments on the application through Nov. 4, the Savannah Morning News reported. The campus is planned 
Featured: Wide aerial view of the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub in Effingham County where OpenAI's Project Camellia is planned.for about 1,400 acres at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub in Effingham County, roughly 30 miles northwest of Savannah.
OpenAI is seeking a Section 404 permit under the Clean Water Act. OpenAI says the plan preserves 70 percent of the wetlands on the site. The plan includes infrastructure to prevent increased flood risk, according to the Savannah Morning News. Environmental groups and residents have raised concerns about flooding and the loss of ecologically sensitive land.
One Hundred Miles, a coastal Georgia conservation group, is asking the Corps to hold a public hearing and deny the permit. The group says the 72 acres is about 50 acres more than was originally permitted for the entire Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub property.
Project Camellia is a $20 billion campus with four buildings totaling about 4.4 million square feet. OpenAI has contracted with Georgia Power to deliver 3.2 gigawatts in phases between 2028 and 2032. Effingham County says the project will be built in five phases. Payments in lieu of taxes begin in 2027, and the county projects full build-out in 2032.
Two lawsuits challenge the project's approvals. The Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit on Sept. 21 in Effingham County Superior Court for five residents and One Hundred Miles. The suit alleges the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority gave inadequate notice for a July vote that granted a 50 percent property tax abatement.
"Georgia's public process rules exist because communities should not learn about major decisions only after deals have been negotiated behind closed doors," said Zachary Henneesee, staff attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. A separate suit alleges the county skipped a required public review of the zoning rules for the site, The Current reported.
Baxtel tracks 348 data center facilities in Georgia, led by QTS Data Centers with 16 sites and Microsoft Azure with eight. The largest is Microsoft's Fairwater 2 Building 1 at 340 MW. Baxtel lists OpenAI's Project Camellia as four planned 800 MW buildings, with the first due in the fourth quarter of 2028.
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