South Carolina is a great place to live and work, and more people are discovering that every day. As our state continues to grow, so does the demand for reliable electricity. Santee Cooper is preparing today to meet the energy needs of tomorrow, ensuring dependable and affordable power for generations to come.
The Need Is Real
In 2025, Santee Cooper customers set six new peak power demand records, highlighting rapid growth across South Carolina and its impact on the electric system. Your state-owned utility has a strong, forward‑looking plan to expand and modernize the system to keep the lights on as demand increases.
Santee Cooper is advancing projects that will add more than 5,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the state’s power grid over the next decade. These additions will come from a diverse portfolio that includes natural gas, nuclear, solar and South Carolina’s largest battery energy storage project. Each project focuses on efficiency, cost‑effectiveness, innovation, collaboration and smart use of existing resources.
Key Projects Underway
• Canadys Station: Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy South Carolina are jointly developing 2,200 MW of high-efficiency natural gas generation at Dominion’s former Canadys coal station site. By repurposing an existing location and utilizing current transmission infrastructure, the project minimizes environmental impacts and reduces development costs. As a 50% partner, Santee Cooper will secure 1,100 MW of new capacity for our customers.
• Rainey Generating Station Expansion: At the Rainey natural gas facility in Anderson County, Santee Cooper is installing new equipment to capture waste heat and make other upgrades, generating an additional 250 MW without increasing emissions or building a new site. This project is a strong example of innovation, environmental stewardship and making better use of existing assets.
• Winyah Generating Station Turbines: Two new dual‑fuel simple cycle combustion turbines – capable of running on natural gas or fuel oil – will add 100 MW at the Winyah station in Georgetown. Located on a cleaned and closed ash pond, this project increases fuel flexibility, repurposes land with limited alternative uses, and leverages existing transmission lines.
• Nuclear Partnership in Fairfield County: Santee Cooper is partnering with Brookfield Asset Management to complete two AP1000 nuclear units. The project is currently in due diligence, with a final investment decision expected in late 2027. If it moves forward, Santee Cooper will receive $2.7 billion for its share of the assets to reduce debt, along with a portion of the power once the units are operational.
• Solar Growth: In December, a new 200‑MW solar facility in Georgetown County came online through a partnership with Central Electric Power Cooperative and Silicon Ranch.
• Battery Storage at Jefferies Station: Santee Cooper has contracted with Aypa Power to build a 300‑MW battery storage project at the former Jefferies coal station, with an expected in‑service date of December 2027. The repurposed location qualifies for federal incentives that will reduce costs.
Public Power’s Purpose
At the heart of this growth is a simple purpose: building a better future for the communities we serve. Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s public power and water utility, the state’s largest power provider, and the ultimate source of electricity for approximately 2 million people. Unlike investor-owned utilities, we don’t answer to shareholders. We are dedicated to being the state’s leading resource for improving the lives of South Carolinians for future generations.
Expanding our grid today means more opportunity, stability, and affordability for tomorrow – because when our communities thrive, we all do.