No time for Santee Cooper to be making loans

News · July 19, 2018

This article was originally published by the Post and Courier on July 19, 2018. I’ve spent my career buying, revitalizing, developing and sometimes selling businesses. For better or worse, the numbers always tell the true story. If I’m not committed to fiscal responsibility and smart financial management, my company fails — and the last thing

Remember the other nuclear partner? Time to get to work on Santee Cooper

News · July 12, 2018

This article was originally published by the The State on July 12, 2018. Palmetto Promise Institute has led the call for a Santee Cooper study committee to begin a thoughtful and deliberate process to determine the future of our state-owned utility, so we applaud the General Assembly for taking definitive action to jump start this

S.C. needs a road map toward a better future

News · July 4, 2018

This op-ed appeared in The Post and Courier newspaper on July 4, 2018. It’s no secret. South Carolina is bursting with promise. Our breathtaking natural beauty, low cost of living, friendly culture and hard-working people have led to rapid growth in recent years. But even as we celebrate all that’s good about our state, we must

Santee Cooper customers are vulnerable too

Energy
News · July 1, 2018

This article was originally published by the Post and Courier on July 1, 2018. Much of the public debate about how to resolve the debacle surrounding the abandonment of two incomplete nuclear reactors in Fairfield County has centered on SCANA and the thousands of South Carolina residents who get their electricity from its subsidiary, SCE&G.

Even if you rely on Duke Energy for power, Santee-Cooper’s fate will affect you

Energy
News · May 27, 2018

This article was originally published by the Greenville News on May 27, 2018. A recent economic analysis released by Palmetto Promise Institute revealed that future utility bills from Santee Cooper – South Carolina’s state-owned utility – must increase anywhere from $166.99 to upwards of $751.03 a year per residential customer for the next 38 years. This

NextEra — utility eyeing Santee Cooper — still ‘on the hunt’ after buying Florida power company

Energy
News · May 21, 2018

This article was originally published by The Post and Courier on May 21, 2018. The acquisition-hungry utility giant NextEra Energy, which has been eyeing Santee Cooper for months, says it’s still “on the hunt” for a power company after buying one in Florida. NextEra said Monday that it has agreed to purchase Gulf Power, an electric company on

Santee Cooper costs will only rise

Energy
News · May 8, 2018

This article was originally published by The State on May 8, 2018. At first glance, Santee Cooper customers seem to be getting a better deal than SCANA customers. However, unlike state-owned Santee Cooper, SCANA has shareholders who can absorb some of the losses from the failed nuclear construction project; Santee Cooper has only debt-holders and customers.

Why Santee Cooper’s customers pay a way lower nuclear surcharge than SCE&G’s

Energy
News · April 17, 2018

This article was written by Cindi Scoppe and originally published by The State on April 17, 2018. Depending on who you believe, customers of the state-owned utility could see their rates go up by 7 percent or 14 percent to pay for the abandoned nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer site near Winnsboro. The Palmetto Promise Institute,