Source: The Times and Democrat
Client: Sierra Club
Author: Liz Stanton, PhD
On behalf of Sierra Club, Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD provided expert testimony to Dominion Energy South Carolina’s 2020 Rate Case (Docket No. 2020-125-E) before the Public Service Commission of South Carolina. In her testimony, Dr. Stanton evaluated the economics of the coal-fired units owned by Dominion and assessed the degree to which both recovery of capital costs incurred at the Wateree, Williams, and Cope plants during the period from 2012 through 2019 and continued investment in and operation of these units in the future are just and reasonable.
Her recommendations to the Public Service Commission of South Carolina for the Wateree, Williams, and Cope plants included a cap on future capital expenditures intended to prolong the lives of the coal units, as well as requiring DESC to seek approval of any expenditure that exceeds that cap before that expenditure can be recovered from ratepayers.