08/23/2024
Yesterday, several state senators gathered together to discuss South Carolina's ten year energy plan. The state Senate put the brakes on the House’s rushed proposal for good reason. Projections indicate that Santee Cooper will exceed grid capacity in 2038 and Duke Energy by 2037. South Carolina’s energy comes from 27% coal. Duke Energy blames the rolling blackouts across the Carolina’s Christmas 2022 on coal plants being too slow to maintain during the winter. The EPA has increased standards, and conservation groups across SC demand to switch to natural gas NOW. Coal is becoming harder to locate, and both groups say change is needed immediately. The immediate demand to remove all coal plants within ten years is, in my opinion, unfounded given the number of businesses and population growth moving to the state. I believe a gradual switch to natural gas is in our best interest, and ten years is too fast.