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SCE&G, Santee Cooper apply to build nuclear units
By Molly Parker
Staff Writer
In spite of concerns over the rising cost of construction, South Carolina Electric & Gas and Santee Cooper have filed a joint application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build up to two new nuclear units at their existing V.C. Summer Nuclear Station site near Jenkinsville.
“Filing the application does not commit our two utilities to build, but it is the logical next step as we move forward with our efforts to bring new electric generation onto our system around 2016,” said Kevin Marsh, president of SCE&G, the principal subsidiary of SCANA Corp.
SCE&G is “confident that new nuclear is the right decision for South Carolina,” Marsh said.
“It’s a clean, safe, non-emitting generation choice that will ultimately result in a significant reduction in emissions for our state,” he said.
SCANA officials have said they want to avoid building coal-fired plants because of concerns over the pollutants they emit. Santee Cooper is going through the regulatory process for its plans to build a coal-fired generation plant in the Kingsburg area of Florence County.
It could be several years before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission makes a decision on what is known as the combined operating and construction license that would allow SCE&G and Santee Cooper to build and operate the new nuclear units.
Earlier this year, Santee Cooper CEO Lonnie Carter noted the rapidly rising cost of construction materials for nuclear facilities. The price tag has shot up astronomically since the utilities first started looking at building a nuclear plant, he said.
In announcing the application, Carter said this “action represents our ongoing plans to keep nuclear power as an option. Santee Cooper is ever mindful of our responsibility to provide reliable, environmentally friendly power to our 2 million direct and indirect customers.”
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not issued a new permit for construction of a nuclear reactor in 30 years, but recently enacted federal policies that streamlined the application process and provided tax incentives to build them. Many utilities, particularly those in the Southeast, consider nuclear energy a viable option for the next generation of power plants.
Molly Parker is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at
mparker@scbiznews.com.
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