Gov. McMaster talking to 3 utilities about investing in failed SC nuclear project

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster is looking for a savior to restart a now-scuttled plan to finish building at least one of two nuclear reactors in Fairfield County.

McMaster is talking to Duke Energy of North Carolina, Southern Co. of Georgia, Dominion Energy of Virginia and other companies about getting involved in the project, his office confirmed Wednesday.

When contacted Wednesday, spokespersons for Southern and Dominion declined to comment on their interest in the Fairfield project. A Duke spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Atlanta-based Southern is building two new reactors in Georgia, also stalled by the bankruptcy of Westinghouse, the former contractor on both the Georgia and S.C. nuclear projects.

McMaster has been weighing whether to sell the state-owned Santee Cooper electric utility or its 45 percent stake in the two reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville.

Legislative approval would be required to sell Santee Cooper, which largely serves rural areas of the state.

The boards of Santee Cooper and SCANA, which owns 55 percent of the project, recently voted to suspend construction of the reactors, amid construction delays, cost overruns and Westinghouse’s bankruptcy.

SCANA has said it was studying the possibility of finishing at least one of the reactors but was forced to scrap that option when Santee Cooper’s board acted to withdraw from the project.

This story was originally published August 9, 2017 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Gov. McMaster talking to 3 utilities about investing in failed SC nuclear project."