Too Hot to Handle: Heatwave Puts SC’s Power Supply to the Test
If your thermostat is currently set to “Antarctica,” utility companies have a favor to ask: maybe bump it up to something closer to “cool breeze.” As South Carolina faces a brutal heatwave this week—with heat indexes hitting triple digits across much of the state—the pressure on our power grid is hitting new highs. On Monday, in anticipation of the heatwave sweeping the Southeast, the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order to keep the lights (and A/C) on, warning of potential blackouts if demand keeps outpacing supply.
The emergency order, which temporarily relaxes environmental restrictions, gives Duke Energy Carolinas the green light to run certain power plants at full tilt. It’s a rare move—usually reserved for hurricanes or ice storms—and it underscores just how strained the Southeast’s energy system has become.
Back at home, Duke Energy is asking customers to ease off the power use between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., when the grid is most vulnerable. That means turning up the thermostat a few degrees, waiting to do the laundry, and maybe swapping the oven for the grill (your house and your electric bill will thank you). “Every little bit helps,” Duke says—and at this point, they really mean it.
All of this points to a bigger reality: South Carolina’s energy demand is growing faster than our ability to keep up. With more residents and energy-hungry industries moving in, our state’s rapid growth is putting new pressure on a grid already stretched thin. This week’s heatwave may be exceptional, but the stress on our energy system is starting to feel like the new normal.
Just last week, Governor Henry McMaster signed into law H.3309, a sweeping energy bill passed by the General Assembly this spring after weeks of debate. The Governor says this bill will go a long way to keeping the air conditioning going strong in our state.
There are many things to like about this legislation—it expands nuclear energy development in our state, expedites regulatory review for energy projects, and directs the Office of Regulatory Staff to devise a comprehensive energy assessment and action plan for the state.
But it is just a step in the right direction, and there are ways South Carolina can continue to promote energy security and reliability.
If South Carolina were to join our neighboring states to create an Energy Imbalance Market (EIM), we could lead the region toward the modernization of our power grid through innovation and free market competition. An EIM would allow companies like Duke Carolinas, stretched thin during this unusual heatwave, to purchase extra energy from other utility companies across a wide region to ensure consumers have reliable, affordable energy, reducing the risk of blackouts and improving overall grid reliability. For a deep dive into EIMs and all the benefits they could offer South Carolina, read our recent EIM report.
Another way to prevent excess strain on our energy grid is to allow large users of energy (like big manufacturing plants) the option of limited retail choice (LRC), allowing companies the capacity to “shop” between energy providers to find the best prices and companies with the most production available. This is how Georgia’s energy market operates, and their grid is notably more resilient than ours, with its customers benefitting from greater stability and pricing flexibility. During extreme weather, LRC can help stabilize the grid by allowing these large users to seek out cheaper or more reliable energy from providers with available capacity, rather than overloading a single regional utility. This flexibility can reduce pressure on the local grid, smooth out demand spikes, and encourage more efficient use of energy across regions. To read more about the benefits of limited retail choice, read our report. Dr. Oran Smith wrote about both of these proposals in the SC Daily Gazette earlier this year.
At the end of the day, it comes down to this: South Carolina is using more energy than ever before, and our energy supply cannot keep up. Increased production capacity like the nuclear energy and natural gas plant contained in H.3309 are much-needed step.
But South Carolina can’t stop there. To keep pace with growing demand—and keep the lights on when the temperature soars—we need to pair new energy production with smart, modern market reforms. Tools like Energy Imbalance Markets and Limited Retail Choice aren’t just policy ideas; they’re proven strategies that bring flexibility, competition, and resilience to the grid when it matters most.
South Carolina’s sweltering summer heat isn’t going away, and neither is our state’s rapid growth. If we want to keep cool without crisis, South Carolina needs an energy system that’s built for the future—not just patched for the present.
