Politics & Government

Santee Cooper moves ahead with V.C. Summer nuclear restart. Here's what to know

By Producing with AI assistance. Original reporting by Sammy Fretwell and Lucy Valeski
Huge tank-like structures as long as railroad cars were installed inside a building at the V.C. Summer nuclear site before the partially completed construction project shut down in 2017 amid rising costs and delays. The structures are in a turbine building on the property 25 miles northwest of Columbia, SC. Photo taken May 19, 2026
Huge tank-like structures as long as railroad cars were installed inside a building at the V.C. Summer nuclear site before the partially completed construction project shut down in 2017 amid rising costs and delays. The structures are in a turbine building on the property 25 miles northwest of Columbia, SC. Photo taken May 19, 2026 Sammy Fretwell/The State

South Carolina’s state-owned utility Santee Cooper is advancing plans to revive the failed V.C. Summer nuclear project, completing the first phase of a feasibility study with Brookfield Asset Management. The two partially built reactors northwest of Columbia were abandoned in 2017 after $9 billion was spent.

FULL STORY: Santee Cooper steams ahead with plans to restart V.C. Summer nuclear project

Here are key takeaways:

  • Santee Cooper CEO Jimmy Staton announced at the June 26 board meeting that the utility is moving into phase 2 of its roughly two-year feasibility study, calling it “a huge step.”
  • Deputy Chief Executive Michael Finissi said Santee Cooper and Brookfield are on track to complete the study by March 2028, when they will decide costs, timeline and whether to proceed.
  • Santee Cooper is expected to receive about $2.7 billion for the assets and retain 25% of the eventual power generated from the two AP1000 Westinghouse reactors.
  • The original project failed spectacularly in 2017 after costs ballooned from $11 billion, leading to criminal prosecutions of top SCE&G executives.
  • Rob Hochstetler, chief executive at Central Electric Power Cooperative, said the deal “could reduce the V.C. Summer cost burden for South Carolina co-op members” while producing carbon-free power.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.

This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Santee Cooper moves ahead with V.C. Summer nuclear restart. Here's what to know."

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