Proposed gas power plant in Colleton County under Public Service Commission review

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Environmental groups, including the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, are opposing a proposed natural gas power plant in Colleton County, South Carolina, that would be built by Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy at the site of a former coal plant. SACE's Eddy Moore warns that the plant's pollutants would affect two million people across multiple states and would increase residents' electric bills. Santee Cooper counters that the plant will feature advanced emissions controls and integrate solar power.

This plant is so large that its pollutants will affect two million people
Eddy Moore

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COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) — A proposed gas power plant in Colleton County is under review by the Public Service Commission, with environmental groups voicing opposition to the project.

Santee Cooper is working with Dominion Energy to build the gas power plant at the Canady's Substation, where a former coal power plant is located near the Edisto River and ACE Basin in Walterboro.

"If built, it would be one of the largest gas-fired power plants in the country," said Taylor Allred, State Energy and Climate Program Director at Coastal Conservation League.

Environmental groups say the power plant will add pollutants to the air, affecting South Carolina and neighboring states.

"This plant is so large that its pollutants will affect two million people," Eddy Moore, Director of Decarbonization, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said.

Allred said the project is not compatible with the area's landscape.

"It's just really not compatible with the special rural landscape that is the Ace Basin," Allred said.

Opponents say the power plant will affect residents economically and health-wise.

"Impact on people's electric bills. I mean, whatever this plant costs, it's going to be added to the electric bills of people," Moore said.

Moore said the pollutants can cause health problems.

"They go through the walls of your lungs and into your bloodstream," Moore said, adding that this can cause a heart attack.

The Coastal Conservation League says construction and air pollutants will affect the environment.

"The construction of the pipeline would have significant impacts to critical wetland habitats and could permanently alter the landscape of a lot of this rural community," Allred said.

Santee Cooper provided a statement addressing the claims, saying the units will feature state-of-the-art emissions control devices and air-cooling technology, reducing by 90% the amount of water needed and conserving Edisto River and groundwater resources. The company said the flexibility of natural gas generation will make it easier to integrate solar power.

The plant is projected to power around 250,000 homes and provide additional solar power. The station will include three combined-cycle turbines with flexible fuel capabilities, with over 2,000 megawatts of power.

Santee Cooper said if approved, the plant will start operations in the 2030s.