SC’s top 2 legislators promise utility power customers protection
The state’s top General Assembly leaders have pledged again to protect customers from continued rate increases after SCANA’s failure to complete two nuclear energy reactors in the Midlands.
SCANA, the owner of South Carolina Electric & Gas, and its partner, state-owned Santee Cooper utility, are facing state and federal investigation after the companies shut down their V.C. Summer reactor project in late July.
Before the project was halted, the companies had spent $9 billion and raised customers’ rates 14 times to pay for the work and left million in unpaid work contracts.
South Carolina House Speaker Jay Lucas and Senate President Pro Tempore Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. indicated Friday that there are a lot of unknowns in the investigation but ratepayer protections are the state’s priority.
Lucas said he’d like to see Leatherman lead the charge on energy regulation reform.
“We need an overhaul to ensure that ratepayers’ interests are more strongly represented than they have been in the past,” Lucas said. “Our goal needs to be to ensure that ratepayers aren’t on the hook for this fiasco.”
Leatherman agreed that ratepayers need protection but didn’t specifically say whether reform would be on the table soon. He did say, however, that energy concerns will be a primary topic moving forward.
“We’ve got to look at the future power needs of this state,” he said. “Until then we have to figure out a way get those rates of the taxpayer and figure what else needs to be done with those in charge.”
Neither Leatherman nor Lucas could provide further details on the continuing investigations into SCANA and Santee Cooper.
Lucas added that he believes the problems stemming from the SCANA fallout will likely dominate the House in the early part of the next legislative session.
SCANA does not operate in the Pee Dee; however, Pee Dee Electric Cooperative is a customer of Santee Cooper.
The Associated Press contributed.
This story was originally published October 2, 2017 at 3:25 PM with the headline "SC’s top 2 legislators promise utility power customers protection."