Powering a Reliable and Sustainable Future
To continue to deliver reliable, affordable power to our customers across the state, Santee Cooper is modernizing its electric system. Investing in system upgrades and new generation are essential to providing the top-ranked reliability our customers expect.
Through these investments, we’re meeting the needs of today while preparing for the future. Santee Cooper discussed our plans for the future and the financial impacts of these plans during the Oct. 24, 2025 Board Meeting. The current financial plan indicates a revenue deficiency beginning in 2027. This projected deficiency means a retail rate adjustment may be needed.
Overview
Santee Cooper regularly reviews its rates to ensure the price customers pay is fair, transparent and based on our actual cost of providing reliable service. We monitor costs of providing service and projected revenues. We consider adjusting rates when we expect our existing rates will not be sufficient to recover our future costs.
Any rates adjustments must go through a comprehensive rate study process to determine the need. We also will have a public comment period on the proposed new rates before any decision is made by the Santee Cooper Board of Directors.
Rate Study Mission and Pricing Principles
To guide Santee Cooper as it studies potential new rates, Santee Cooper follows these pricing principles:
- Mission: Limit price increases to less than inflation.
- Equity: Allocate costs to specific customer classes in a reasonable, equitable and defensible manner.
- Efficiency: Design prices so that conservation savings are shared with the customers.
- Adequacy: Provide sufficient revenue to preserve the financial integrity of Santee Cooper.
- Notice: Ensure customer notice and engagement in rate proceedings.
- Protection: Allow reasonable relief mechanisms for financially distressed customers.
- Transparency: Require openness in annual review of compliance with Pricing Principles.
These pricing principles were adopted by Santee Cooper’s Board of Directors in January 2020 and readopted in June 2024.
Rate Study Process
Santee Cooper's most recent financial plan indicates a revenue deficiency beginning in 2027, meaning we anticipate that our existing rates will not be sufficient to recover our future costs. As a result, a retail rate adjustment may be needed.
Santee Cooper is in the early stages of performing a retail rate study that will evaluate rates and charges for residential, commercial, industrial, lighting and municipal customers. Santee Cooper is currently evaluating the adequacy of its retail rates and has not proposed changes to the Board-approved rate schedules.
Santee Cooper’s rate adjustment process, including public comment opportunities, is codified under Act 90 of 2021 (see South Carolina Code Section 58-31-730). Any changes to the rate schedules that are developed from this rate study require Santee Cooper to undergo a public review process.
This process will be transparent and will offer multiple opportunities for public review and input including:
- A series of meetings where customers can learn more about potential changes to rates and make comments.
- Customers will have a period of several months to request information and provide written comments.
- A Board of Directors meeting to highlight any changes to the recommendations related to public input prior to its scheduled vote.
Stay Informed
This webpage will be updated throughout the rate study process and will include key dates, customer input opportunities, details on any proposed rate adjustments, and public meeting dates, times and locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Santee Cooper’s current rates were approved on December 9, 2024, and took effect April 1, 2025. This was Santee Cooper’s first base rate increase since 2017.
You can visit our Rates page, which provides information on Santee Cooper's rates for residential, business, industrial and wholesale customers.
Santee Cooper is a not-for-profit public power utility owned by the State of South Carolina and does not have shareholders.