Santee Cooper large load and data center rate
On bills now Rate matter before the South Carolina Public Service Commission.
No residential dollar figure published yet
The filing does not state a typical-bill impact we can verify. We will add one when the commission staff or the consumer advocate publishes it.
What happens next
The decision is final; the new rate takes effect once the order sets a date. How rate cases work.
South Carolina's state owned utility, Santee Cooper, created a special experimental rate for very large customers of 50 megawatts or more, covering incoming data centers as well as some large manufacturers. Its board approved the rate in spring 2025 on a four year experimental basis; it requires large customers to sign 15 year contracts and lets Santee Cooper charge more during peak demand periods. Separately, Santee Cooper has proposed general residential increases of about 4.7 percent in 2027 and 4.6 percent in 2028 as it prepares for over a gigawatt of new large load demand by 2030.
What it means for your bill: The large load rate is meant to make data centers and other big new customers cover the cost of the power plants and lines built to serve them, rather than spreading that cost across residential bills.
- Status
- On bills now
- Utility
- Santee Cooper
- Commission
- South Carolina Public Service Commission
- Data center linked
- Yes. The filing ties part of the cost or the tariff design to data center load. The projects themselves: isadatacentercoming.com.
- Last checked
- August 29, 2026
Common questions
How much will my Santee Cooper bill go up?
That has not been published yet; we will add it once the commission staff or the consumer advocate release a figure.
When would the new rates start?
Not yet set. That is decided along with the case, usually as part of the commission's final order.
When is the hearing?
No hearing date is on record for this case.
How do I comment?
The comment period closed once this case was decided; its result is above.
Sources
- SC's state-owned utility enacts higher rates for data centers, large users, SC Daily Gazette, 2025-04-25
- South Carolina utility Santee Cooper enacts new electricity rates for data centers and other large loads, Data Center Dynamics,
- Proposed Residential Rate Changes, Santee Cooper,
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