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Remember NukeGate? You should, because you’re still paying for it. First unearthed by this media outlet back in 2017, NukeGate refers to the botched construction of a pair of abandoned nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer facility in Jenkinsville, South Carolina
This failed command economic boondoggle – spearheaded by liberal lawmakers including S.C. Senate judiciary chairman Luke Rankin – set power generation in South Carolina back for decades.
NukeGate was supposed to produce a pair of next generation, pressurized water reactors capable of generating a combined 2,300 megawatts of energy. Instead, it produced nothing but lies … and debt … and higher rates on South Carolina energy customers.
And no reactors… all at cost of $10 billion to Palmetto State ratepayers and taxpayers.
Worst of all? The implosion of this project happened at the precise moment the Palmetto State desperately needed to add new generating capacity to handle a wave of fresh demand for industrial, commercial and residential power.
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Envisioned as a decades-long partnership between Santee Cooper – a chronically mismanaged government-run utility – and SCANA, a former South Carolina energy utility, NukeGate was supposed to solve the Palmetto State’s long-term power demand problem. Instead, its collapse continues to cast a long shadow over the politicians who approved it – many of whom are part of a recently convened Senate panel confronting the consequences of its abandonment.
On Wednesday (October 16, 2024), this panel met in Columbia, S.C. in the hope of continuing its work toward legislative consensus on the pressing need for additional power generation – as well as the need to streamline permitting for new energy infrastructure.
“I want to give the staff direction so we can start working on legislation,” Senate majority leader Shane Massey said, referencing those two key goals. “My hope is we could take up some energy legislation in January.”
Massey’s stated objectives found broad, bipartisan consensus on the panel – including specific support for a new natural gas facility in Canadys, S.C.
“At a minimum, we’re going to have to have new generation come online,” Senate minority leader Brad Hutto said, referring to the Canadys facility.
Hutto also echoed Massey’s desire to streamline the permitting process for future projects and reduce both the duration and cost of environmental appeals, noting how “ratepayers lose” during drawn-out court battles because “the costs of projects go up.”
“The appeals process is too long,” Hutto said. “Put it to the courts in an expedited fashion. It’s going to the supreme court anyway, let’s just go there.”
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As previously noted, a major misinformation campaign was waged in South Carolina this year by eco-radical interests aimed at shutting down any new, non-renewable energy sources – and blocking permitting reform to keep future projects bottled up.
To his credit, S.C. speaker Murrell Smith has not bowed to the pressure – and has aggressively pursued new generating capacity and permitting reform at the State House. In addition to green-lighting new natural gas infrastructure, Smith’s former legislation – which failed to clear the Senate – would have established specific timelines for the S.C. Public Service Commission (SCPSC) and other permitting agencies to rule on applications for future energy projects while establishing a streamlined process by which all future appeals went straight to the S.C. supreme court.
Unfortunately, Smith’s bill did not pass.
One member of the panel, state senator Tom Davis, said he supported expediting appeals and approving the Canadys project – but added “we’re leaving on the table some very obvious things.”
Among those things? Reviving the V.C. Summer nuclear project.
“Georgia’s already talking about doing another nuclear facility,” Davis said. “We would be derelict if we did not at least explore (reviving the project).”
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Later during the hearing, Davis said South Carolina needs to be “energetically embracing” a reboot of the scuttled nuclear project, touting the potential for federal tax credits and outside investment – and the fact the project is partially completed.
“Maybe it’s a hangover from 2017 and the fact we got screwed but we need to be clear-eyed about this,” Davis said.
Lawmakers also addressed the energy demand created by crony capitalist data center deals – which this media outlet has steadfastly opposed.
“Some have suggested we put a moratorium on some of those things,” Massey said in discussing these power-hungry projects.
State senator Chip Campsen also raised the specter of data centers, saying “ratepayers didn’t create the need for all this new generating capacity” and that he hoped “those creating the need” weren’t forcing disproportionate share of the cost on ratepayers.
“We need to make sure it’s equitable,” Campsen said.
Count on this media outlet – which has championed the interests of ratepayers and taxpayers for many years – to continue closely monitoring the work of this panel as it moves from conceptual discussions into the much more difficult work of preparing draft legislation over the coming weeks.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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4 comments
We are going to need more nuclear power in this state – hell we have been needing the 2300MW that the last facility as supposed to provide. We just need to make it clear that there are no tax dollars that are going to be permitted for a new venture unless and until it becomes operational. All consequences of project failure need to ride on the backs of the companies building the projects – unlike the last attempt when SC received the “Rankin Spankin”
Why is Will critical of them rethinking nuclear but all for giving the utilities more money to expand natural gas?
The sad part is, nuclear is probably our best option long term if we want to get rid of fossil fuel consumption and the increase in carbon and other emissions, and it isn’t like Americans don’t know how to produce nuclear power plants. The fact that so many in public and private hierarchies are using this to rip off taxpayers and ratepayers alike is just indicative of how our system fails the working class.
If you took the profitability out of this mess, the greedy bastards would flee and maybe, maybe you could actually get reactors working at some point.
And yet Georgia Power/Southern Company completed their 2 units-which are mirror images of what SCANA was “trying” to build. BTW,the latest 2 units SCANA walked off from were in addition to TWO others they abandoned in the 70s. GPC now has 4 nukes on line at Plant Vogtle.