Overview
South Carolina ranks third in U.S. nuclear generation and is now adding dispatchable natural gas capacity to meet load growth. Santee Cooper and Duke Energy are building new combined-cycle plants, while multiple 230 kV transmission upgrades address thermal and voltage violations in northern Horry County, Berkeley County, and southern growth corridors. The state’s utilities are modeling battery storage in long-term plans, though no site-specific projects have been publicly announced.
Generation Projects
Natural Gas
Santee Cooper and Duke Energy are both advancing new gas-fired generation to support load growth.
- Canadys Station (Colleton County): Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy South Carolina are developing a 2,200 MW natural gas combined-cycle plant positioned as firm, dispatchable capacity.[1]
- Duke Energy Anderson County plant: Anderson County approved a tax incentive for a proposed Duke Energy natural gas plant, though capacity and timeline remain undisclosed.[2]
Nuclear
South Carolina ranked third in U.S. nuclear generation in 2023, but no new nuclear construction has been announced. The state continues to rely on its existing nuclear fleet for baseload generation.[3]
Solar
Dominion Energy South Carolina operates over 153 MW of solar generating capacity across multiple projects statewide. Project-level construction schedules are not publicly available.[4]
Transmission and Grid
Santee Cooper is building multiple 230 kV transmission upgrades to relieve congestion and support load growth in key corridors.
- Marion–Red Bluff 230 kV Line: A new 50-mile line in Marion and Horry counties, rebuilding existing 69 kV and 115 kV lines and adding new right-of-way to mitigate thermal and voltage violations in northern Horry County.[5]
- Cross–Wassamassaw No. 2 230 kV Line (Berkeley County): A new 230 kV circuit on existing right-of-way to provide additional transmission capacity for load growth and improve reliability.[6]
- Yemassee–Varnville Area 230 kV Project: A new 230 kV line between the Varnville and Yemassee areas in southern South Carolina.[7]
These projects indicate near-term transmission reinforcement needs in growth corridors that could serve new large loads such as data centers.
Battery Storage
Santee Cooper’s 2023 IRP stakeholder update shows the utility is modeling utility-scale BESS (battery energy storage systems) alongside solar resources in its long-term planning. Cost benchmarks and limited quantities are included in resource portfolios, but no site-specific battery projects have been publicly announced.[8]
Interconnection Queue
Dominion Energy South Carolina has shifted to a cluster study process under the South Carolina Generator Interconnection Procedures (SCGIP), establishing a structured framework for managing new generation and storage interconnection requests.[9]
Santee Cooper’s Marion–Red Bluff 230 kV project explicitly cites thermal and voltage violations under contingency conditions and load growth as drivers, pointing to bottlenecks in parts of the transmission system.[5]
What to Watch
- Duke Energy’s Anderson County natural gas plant capacity and timeline, expected to surface in PSC filings or the utility’s IRP.
- Site-specific battery storage projects from Santee Cooper, Duke Energy Carolinas, or Dominion Energy South Carolina as IRPs and interconnection queues advance.
- Corporate PPAs or green tariff enrollments tied to data center operators (Google, Meta, AWS, Microsoft) in South Carolina.
Sources
[1] Santee Cooper, “Canadys Station,” Santee Cooper (project page), n.d., https://www.santeecooper.com/community/generation-projects/canadys-station/ (accessed 2026-01-08).
[2] Fox Carolina, “Anderson County approves tax incentive for proposed Duke Energy natural gas plant,” Fox Carolina, 2025-12-16, https://www.foxcarolina.com/2025/12/16/anderson-county-approves-tax-incentive-proposed-duke-energy-natural-gas-plant/ (accessed 2026-01-08).
[3] U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “South Carolina State Profile and Energy Estimates,” EIA, last updated 2025-02-20, https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=SC (accessed 2026-01-08).
[4] Dominion Energy, “South Carolina Solar Projects,” Dominion Energy (project overview page), n.d., https://www.dominionenergy.com/about/delivering-energy/solar-energy-projects/south-carolina-solar-projects (accessed 2026-01-08).
[5] Santee Cooper, “Marion–Red Bluff 230kV Line,” Santee Cooper (project page), n.d., https://www.santeecooper.com/community/power-line-projects/marion-red-bluff/ (accessed 2026-01-08).
[6] Santee Cooper, “Cross–Wassamassaw No. 2 230kV Line,” Santee Cooper (project page), n.d., https://www.santeecooper.com/community/power-line-projects/cross-wassamassaw-2-230kv-line/ (accessed 2026-01-08).
[7] Santee Cooper, “Yemassee–Varnville Area 230kV Project,” Santee Cooper (project page), n.d., https://www.santeecooper.com/community/power-line-projects/yemassee-varnville-area-230kv-project/ (accessed 2026-01-08).
[8] Santee Cooper, “Stakeholder Update: Renewable Resource Options and Resource Portfolios (2023 IRP materials),” Santee Cooper, 2023 (PDF), https://www.santeecooper.com/About/Integrated-Resource-Plan/Reports-and-Materials/Stakeholder-Update-Renewable-Resource-Options-and-Resource-Portfolios.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).
[9] Dominion Energy South Carolina (DESC), “DESC SCGIP Cluster Study Process (Draft Attachment 11),” Dominion Energy, 2021-04-12, https://cdn-dominionenergy-prd-001.azureedge.net/-/media/content/save-energy/global/pdfs/south-carolina/renewable-energy/desc-scgip-cluster-study-process-draft-attachment-11-04122021.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).