This week, the South Carolina Senate Special Committee on Energy Future held the first of three meetings to discuss upcoming legislation on power generation and the state’s energy future.  

During the recent legislative session, the South Carolina Senate failed to pass an 80-page bill that would have provided a path for building a new power plant while also overhauling the state’s utility regulations. State-owned Santee Cooper wanted legislative permission to partner with Dominion Energy to build a 2,000-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant costing $2.5 billion.  

Though the bill moved quickly through the House, it came to a halt on the Senate floor over concerns the bill was being rushed through, forcing the Senate to vote on a promise that the issues would be dealt with this fall.  

The first meeting, led by Senate Majority leader Shane Massey, heard testimony from the executives of the state’s three major utilities: Duke Energy, Santee Cooper, and Dominion. These executives echoed a similar theme, focusing on the growth that South Carolina continues to experience and the extreme pressure that growth places on energy providers.  

Mike Callahan, President of Duke Energy for South Carolina, testified that they expect electricity usage over the next decade to be “eight times greater than predictions made just two years ago.”  Jimmy Stanton, Santee Cooper CEO, discussed how the population growth, coupled with the reshoring of industry and manufacturing has increased the need for data and AI within the electrification of the transportation sector.  

In agreement with Duke Energy and Santee Cooper, Dominion Energy CEO Keller Kissam stressed that the state has reached the point of urgency and that a clear and effective energy policy is needed to streamline the regulatory process while protecting the interest of the customers.  

Upcoming meetings will include testimony from ratepayers, business leaders, and environmentalists. The next meeting will be held on September 12th.