HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Santee Cooper Board of Directors will vote in December on a proposed three-year rate increase that, if approved, would begin in April 2016.
In a press release from Santee Cooper, the utility company states the main reasons behind the need for customers to pay more each month are “continued construction expenses associated with nuclear units at V.C. Summer Nuclear Station and slower than expected load growth following the last recession.”
If approved, all Santee Cooper customers will see an average 5.3 percent hike in their monthly bill in 2016, an increase of 2.1 percent in 2017 and a third hike of just under one percent in 2018. The price increase averages to be 2.7 percent annually over the three year plan. The rate proposal also includes a new rider for customers who want to install rooftop solar panels at their home or business and connect them to the Santee Cooper grid.
Santee Cooper invited the public to comment online, by mail or in person at one of five public meetings. The comment period ended August 27, 2015.
