Santee Cooper board approves natural gas plant at Canadys Station
COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) — A former coal-fired power plant at Canadys in Colleton County is one step closer to becoming the state’s next natural gas plant.
The Santee Cooper Board of Directors approved a new natural gas plant at the Colleton County site that is set to be operational by the 2030s
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.
“For the last 10 years or so, there’s not been a plant there,” Climate Campaign Associate with the Southern Environmental Law Center Robby Maynor said. “People may be able to breathe a little more easily, but now we’re looking at locating another polluting fossil fuel plant on the same site in the same community that lived with significant pollution from a coal plant for half a century.”
Maynor said pollution from the plant will extend beyond Colleton County.
“Colleton County unsurprisingly will bear the brunt of that,” he said. “They will have the most and the most severe pollution, the people nearest the plant. But it’s not only Colleton County. It will go as far as Charleston and Beaufort counties as well.”
The approval comes after the Southern Environmental Law Center released a report on how the project could increase pollution and negative health effects on the surrounding community.
The station will include three simple cycles and three steam turbine generators with coolers and various tanks for oil and water, according to Michael Finissi, Deputy CEO of Santee Cooper.
Santee Cooper says the plant will be in full compliance with environmental regulations in partnership with Dominion Energy.
“Dominion would run the unit and then we would have strong governance and oversight on the project. We would have a seat at the table as a 50/50 partner. We would also have an independent monitor that will evaluate the project as we move forward, so then we can get independent feedback on how things are going.” Finissi said.
But Maynor questioned the long-term impact on South Carolina.
“What do we want South Carolina to look like 10 years from now, 25 years from now? Do we want a lot of power plants? Do we want a lot of data centers? Do we want to maintain our rural communities, our high quality of life in our beautiful landscapes?” Maynor said.
Santee Cooper says the natural gas plant will be one of the most efficient power plants in the southeastern part of the country and will produce savings for customers.
“Santee Cooper’s board may have approved this to move forward, but it still has to go through the Public Service Commission, which will evaluate the environmental and health impacts alongside the proposed benefits to see if this really is something that should be built in South Carolina,” Maynor said.
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