South Carolina Utility Delays Solar Expansion While Committing to Expensive Natural Gas Plants

South Carolina's Santee Cooper utility filed a long-range energy plan that delays significant solar investments until 2052 and postpones coal plant retirements, opting instead to expand natural gas capacity despite rising costs driven by increased demand from data centers. The utility's new strategy reverses prior commitments to deploy 1,500 megawatts of solar by 2030 and retire its Winyah coal plant by 2030, with retirement now pushed to 2034 or later. Industry analysts and other utilities have recognized renewable energy as the most cost-competitive generation option, suggesting Santee Cooper's pivot toward expensive gas infrastructure will burden customers with higher electricity rates.

Santee Cooper's revised energy strategy represents a significant reversal of prior renewable commitments. The utility previously pledged to deploy 1,500 megawatts of solar capacity by 2030, but now plans to postpone major solar investments until 2052—a 22-year delay. Simultaneously, the company extended its coal plant operations at Winyah, pushing retirement from 2030 to 2034 or beyond, while committing to expensive natural gas infrastructure expansion.

The timing of this pivot coincides with surging electricity demand from data centers and other large industrial users in the region. Industry analyses consistently identify renewable energy as the most economically competitive generation source available today. The utility's choice to prioritize gas plants instead may expose South Carolina customers to elevated electricity costs, particularly as global gas turbine supply constraints continue driving up infrastructure expenses.