Two years ago today, Santee Cooper and SCE&G announced that they were abandoning construction of the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station units 2 and 3.

Throughout the fall of 2017, as another football season came and went, PPI watched and waited for someone—anyone—to step up for Santee Cooper customers. Thanks to the actions of two special legislative committees, the public did learn a lot about the demise of V.C. Summer, but there was a clear message: tackle SCE&G first, then Santee Cooper.

Thursday, the South Carolina Senate made significant progress on the Santee Cooper issue. A Joint Resolution, H.4287, passed by a vote of 42-1. It now goes back to the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Why do key business and government leaders believe a sale of Santee Cooper is in the best interest of consumers?

PPI’s priorities got a boost this week when key players made it clear that the time for action has come. Kudos to them.

My thanks to state Rep. Russell Fry for standing with Santee Cooper customers. Rep. Fry serves on the special legislative committee that’s considering offers to buy state-owned Santee Cooper, offers that would pay off the enormous debt and ensure lower rates than Santee Cooper’s. Rep. Fry cast a crucial vote on the committee to pursue

Multiple purchase proposals both eliminate nuclear debt and cut electricity rates.

This article was originally published in The State and was written by PPI’s Dr. Oran Smith. State-owned utility Santee Cooper has a long, rich history. It was Santee Cooper that literally sent light into darkness, bringing power to our rural communities at a time when no other utility would take the risk. Unfortunately, the more

This op-ed from Dr. Oran P. Smith ran in The State on January 16, 2019. 

PPI's research on the consumer costs associated with Santee Cooper's debt is mentioned in the Coastal Observer.