OpenAI applies for permit to fill wetlands for data center | Exclusive

Oct. 26, 2026, 5:08 a.m. ET

• OpenAI has applied for a permit to fill in 72 acres of wetlands for a new data center in Effingham County, Georgia.
• Environmental groups and local residents have raised concerns about potential flooding and the loss of ecologically sensitive land.
• OpenAI states its plan preserves 70% of the onsite wetlands and includes infrastructure to prevent increased flood risk.
• The public can comment on the permit application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until Nov. 4.

OpenAI has applied for a federal permit to fill 72 acres of wetlands at the site of its planned data center campus in Effingham County.

The permit application was filed with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and made accessible to the public on Oct. 5. If approved, the permit would allow OpenAI to build four large data center facilities plus infrastructure on ecologically sensitive land within the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, a 2,600-acre campus where the county hopes to attract major industries.

The request has raised concerns among environmental groups, as well as local residents who have sought ways to channel their anger after the July announcement that an OpenAI data center was coming to town took them by surprise.