Report: South Carolina ranks 28th in cost of electricity

The Center Square highlights PPI’s research on energy reform in this article.

(The Center Square) — South Carolina ranked 18th in total retail sales of electricity and was 28th in average retail price, according to new data from 2021 released recently by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The state also ranked 18th in summer megawatt capacity and was 12th in direct use.

South Carolina’s average price was 9.96 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to the national average of 11.1.

Palmetto Promise has called for several solutions to lower South Carolina’s energy costs.

Those considerations include breaking up the monopoly and duopoly and provide more options to consumers. It also suggests either a southeast regional cooperative on electricity to create a wholesale system or a regional transmission organization, which is a multi-state organization with a shared grid allowing sales of electricity between utilities.

In 2020, South Carolina was 25th in electricity prices while being 18th in retail sales and 12th in direct use.