The Oct. 22 Post and Courier article “Proposed SC gas plant’s pollution could affect 2 million people,” which referenced a Southern Environmental Law Center study produced by Harvard University researchers, was timed perfectly just before Halloween.
Like costumed characters at a haunted house, the study aimed to instill fear in South Carolinians. It was also an admonishment to any of us South Carolinians who have chosen to use natural gas or propane in our homes, stood around a burn barrel or a fireplace, grilled out, barbecued a hog, lit a brush pile or cranked a tractor, truck or car.
Ironically, the Massachusetts-based researchers at Harvard have the third-highest electricity prices in the nation according to Choose Energy. Only California and Hawaii customers pay more. The same report said South Carolina has the country’s 18th-lowest electricity prices. South Carolina leadership balances affordability, economic development and environmental responsibility to protect the best interests of our customers and the energy future of our state.
A major indication of this leadership is the recent passage of the S.C. Energy Security Act. While it does authorize Santee Cooper to evaluate a jointly owned natural gas generation facility with Dominion Energy at Canadys Station — Dominion’s former coal-fired generation site in Colleton County — the law’s overall intent is to advance an all-of-the-above energy strategy to benefit South Carolina.
For decades, environmentalists in South Carolina urged Dominion Energy and its predecessor SCANA to convert the coal-fired boilers at Canadys to natural gas. We are proposing a much more efficient and cleaner solution. With state-of-the-art environmental protections, the air-cooled, closed-cycle facility will be one of the most efficient generating plants in the Southeast. In fact, it will reduce water use by more than 90 percent compared to traditional cooling systems. And, it will offer the best pairing for additional solar.
Although our combined solar capacity is greater than any single generating unit on either of our systems, non-dispatchable solar power is limited by variability in weather, particularly cloud cover and the natural progression of day into night. Solar generates only about a tenth as much electricity on its worst S.C. day as on its best; it’s unavailable as sunset approaches until after sunrise. Even if you doubled or tripled the amount of solar capacity, that would still be the case.
This chart shows solar at its best and worst on two days in South Carolina. Solar is unavailable as sunset approaches until after sunrise.
So why are we proposing to build a natural gas generating plant at Canadys?
1. Canadys provides the most efficient, dispatchable and flexible energy source to meet the future energy needs of South Carolina. As such, it will pair optimally with the sporadic, intermittent availability of solar energy and will accommodate the continued growth and development of non-dispatchable renewables.
2. Canadys has an established footprint. As a remediated site of a former coal generation plant, Canadys eliminates the need to acquire and clear large swaths of new land. It is also strategically positioned at the energy intersection of the Lowcountry, located in the immediate vicinity of well-established transmission corridors for Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy.
3. Canadys will support good-paying jobs in Colleton County and surrounding communities, help attract new industry and contribute to a substantial increase in needed property taxes for the benefit of citizens, students and infrastructure.
Additionally, pipeline provider Kinder Morgan, Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy will work with the ACE Basin Task Force to create a wildlife corridor for participating landowners. This will complement the 420-acre Canadys environmental mitigation area adjacent to the Edisto River that has already been returned to its indigenous state with flora and fauna.
These facts alone clearly justify the Canadys project. However, the greatest source of energy for Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy emanates from our combined family of approximately 4,000 dedicated employees who live throughout South Carolina, including in the Lowcountry. We are your neighbors who are committed to providing the true power to collectively serve our beloved Palmetto State.
Keller Kissam is president of Dominion Energy South Carolina. Jimmy Staton is president and CEO of Santee Cooper
