South Carolina Public Service Commission

Duke Energy Carolinas serves the western Piedmont region; Duke Energy Progress serves the central and eastern portions of the state, including the Midlands and coastal areas

Duke operates under multi-year rate plans approved by the SCPSC and has been active in seeking recovery for grid hardening and storm restoration costs. The two South Carolina subsidiaries are regulated separately but often file coordinated integrated resource plans reflecting shared capacity resources.

Central South Carolina including the Columbia metro area, portions of the Lowcountry, and surrounding counties encompassing approximately 1.6 million customers

Dominion Energy SC remains under significant scrutiny following the V.C. Summer nuclear construction abandonment; the Base Load Review Act was repealed and the SCPSC continues to monitor rate mitigation commitments and capital structure conditions tied to the 2019 Dominion acquisition order. The utility has pursued incremental rate adjustments through fuel cost mechanisms and infrastructure riders.

Wholesale power provider to all 20 electric cooperatives in South Carolina via Central Electric Power Cooperative; also serves direct retail customers in Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry counties

Santee Cooper is a state-owned utility not directly regulated by the SCPSC for rate setting, but legislative oversight remains intense following the V.C. Summer debacle. The General Assembly periodically revisits reform or sale proposals, and Santee Cooper's integrated resource planning decisions draw close scrutiny from lawmakers and the Office of Regulatory Staff.

Statewide wholesale transmission cooperative serving all 20 distribution electric cooperatives across South Carolina

Central Electric is the wholesale purchaser from Santee Cooper for the state's cooperative network and is governed by its member cooperatives rather than the SCPSC. Its power supply contract renegotiations with Santee Cooper have regulatory downstream implications for retail cooperative rates subject to limited SCPSC oversight.

Natural gas distribution serving the Upstate region, including Greenville, Spartanburg, and Cherokee counties, as well as portions of York and Chester counties

Piedmont Natural Gas filed a rate case before the SCPSC seeking recovery of infrastructure replacement program costs and pipeline safety investments; the commission has historically allowed accelerated cost recovery mechanisms for eligible cast iron and bare steel pipe replacement.

Municipal electric and water utilities serving fast-growing communities in York County (Fort Mill) and Greenville/Spartanburg counties (Greer CPW)

Rapidly expanding service territories driven by Upstate and Charlotte-metro growth have pressured both utilities to pursue infrastructure investment rate adjustments; as municipal utilities they file informational rate notices with the SCPSC rather than traditional rate cases but face increasing regulatory attention around capacity planning and reliability standards.

Key Issues

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