Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned utility, filed a long-range energy plan with regulators that acknowledges rising demand from large-load customers such as data centers is putting upward pressure on costs. The filing, reported by CleanTechnica, marks an explicit admission that the current wave of industrial-scale electricity demand is affecting the utility's cost outlook.
The plan's proposed response to that demand is what makes it "bad news" for customers, according to the report. While the source does not detail the specific generation or rate strategies in the plan, it frames the utility's direction as one that will likely shift more costs onto ratepayers rather than shielding them from the pressures of new large-load connections.
Because this article relies on a single source, there is no independent or contrasting view to compare. The assessment of the plan's impact is drawn directly from CleanTechnica's reporting on the regulatory filing, not from Santee Cooper's own public statements or from other stakeholders. Further details on the plan's contents would be needed to fully evaluate the trade-offs for South Carolina customers.