Overview

Resources and Consumption

South Carolina’s only substantial energy resource is its system of rivers and lakes, which provides for substantial hydroelectric power generation. South Carolina’s industrial sector accounts for nearly two-fifths of State energy consumption.

Petroleum

South Carolina receives petroleum product shipments at the Port of Charleston and via the Colonial and Plantation pipelines from the Gulf Coast. The Dixie Pipeline, also originating in the Gulf Coast, supplies the State’s propane demand. South Carolina's total petroleum consumption is near the national median, and South Carolina is one of the few States that allow the statewide use of conventional motor gasoline. (Most States require the use of specific gasoline blends in non-attainment areas due to air-quality considerations.)

Natural Gas

South Carolina’s natural gas supply is transported from the Gulf Coast by two major interstate pipeline systems. The State receives substantial amounts of natural gas on a net basis; however, over four-fifths of this supply is delivered to North Carolina on its way to markets in the Northeast. Although approximately one-fourth of households in South Carolina use natural gas as their main energy source for home heating, winters are generally mild and overall demand is relatively low.

Coal, Electricity, and Renewables

Nuclear power accounts for more than one-half of South Carolina’s electricity generation. With four active nuclear power plants, South Carolina is among the top nuclear power producers in United States. Two new nuclear reactors could come online in South Carolina by 2016 if licensing and construction go as planned. Coal fuels about two-fifths of net electricity generation. South Carolina has no coal mines, and coal-fired power plants rely on supplies shipped from Kentucky, and, to a lesser extent, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Tennessee. South Carolina produces substantial hydroelectric power from facilities located in several river and lake basins. Per capita electricity consumption in South Carolina is among the highest in the United States, due to high industrial use, high demand for air-conditioning during the hot summer months, and the widespread use of electricity for home heating during the typically mild winter months. More than three-fifths of South Carolina households use electricity as their primary energy source for home heating.

While South Carolina does not have a renewable portfolio standard, the State adopted energy standards for public buildings that require major facility projects in the State to be constructed to high energy efficiency standards The State has also established a goal of reducing energy use by 20 percent from 2000 levels by July 1, 2020.