As regulators weigh Colleton County gas plant, Duke Energy station gains approval

Duke Energy can build a 1,365-megawatt natural gas plant in Anderson County to deal with increasing demand, the state Public Service Commission determined Thursday.

The decision comes as regulators also weigh whether to allow a larger, 2,200 megawatt natural gas plant to be built by Santee Cooper and Dominion in Colleton County.

The Upstate utility asked for permission to build the plant in late October last year. Less than five months later, the state’s utility regulator determined the project was necessary and met environmental requirements.

It’s expected to cost Duke $3.2 billion to build. The proposed Colleton County gas plant will likely cost $5 billion, split between Dominion and Santee Cooper.

Construction is expected to start on the Anderson County natural gas plant in summer 2027, and it will be operational in early 2031, according to a news release.

Duke Energy says the gas plant is needed because of population and business growth in the state, according to testimony from utility officials in the docket. Utilities across South Carolina have scaled up their electricity generation projects while anticipating more demand from a growing population, industry and data centers.

The Anderson County gas plant is also one of the first projects given approval under a new state law passed by the General Assembly in 2025. The law’s changes included how rates are set and how energy projects are permitted in an effort to boost electricity production in South Carolina.