A lawsuit has been filed against OpenAI, local officials in Effingham County, and several development agencies regarding the Project Camellia data center. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants engaged in a civil conspiracy, zoning violations, and racketeering to secure project approvals through closed-door negotiations.
Project Camellia is planned as a massive facility with a compute capacity of 3.2 gigawatts. The construction is expected to span five phases, with total costs estimated between $20 billion and $30 billion. The project has faced significant local opposition due to concerns over land transactions and tax incentives.
The legal action invokes Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Plaintiffs claim that officials and developers used non-disclosure agreements and misleading public statements to conceal the nature of the project from residents until contracts were already finalized.
OpenAI has stated that the facility will utilize a closed-loop water system to minimize consumption and that the company will cover all necessary infrastructure upgrades to prevent impact on local utility costs. However, critics argue that the use of non-disclosure agreements in such developments has become a recurring issue.
