Client: Conservation Voters of South Carolina (CVSC)
Authors: Joshua R. Castigliego, Elisabeth Seliga, Jordan Burt, PhD, Sagal Alisalad, and Bryndis Woods, PhD
March 2026
On behalf of the Conservation Voters of South Carolina (CVSC), Senior Researcher Joshua R. Castigliego, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, Researchers Jordan Burt, PhD and Sagal Alisalad, and Principal Analyst Bryndis Woods, PhD prepared a report that evaluates Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy South Carolina’s December 2025 Joint Application to build a new jointly owned, 2,180-MW natural gas-fired combined cycle generating facility—the proposed “Edisto Gas Plant” or Canadys Joint Resource—on the banks of the Edisto River. The report examines the risks that the project could pose to South Carolina ratepayers if approved by the South Carolina Public Service Commission.
In the report, AEC identifies three primary risks to ratepayers (i.e. the potential for electric customers to face higher costs) as a result of new gas-fired capacity like the proposed Edisto Gas Plant to meet increasing electric demand: (1) uncertain forecasts of customer demand, which could leave ratepayers paying for unused capacity; (2) higher-than-expected capital costs, including from construction delays and cost overruns; and (3) fuel price uncertainty, which can increase operating expenses and, ultimately, electric rates and customer bills. AEC's review of the Companies’ Joint Application reveals several significant concerns related to these risks.
Understanding risks to South Carolina ratepayers, individually and collectively, underscores the importance of prudent utility planning and the need for the Commission to carefully consider whether approving the Companies’ Joint Application for the proposed Edisto Gas Plant would expose ratepayers to unnecessary risk, particularly when alternative, lower-risk pathways may exist that the Companies have not fully evaluated.