South Carolina Code 58-33-180. Additional requirements regarding construction of a major utility facility
(a) the construction of a major utility facility constitutes a more cost-effective means for serving direct serve and wholesale customers than other feasibly available long-term power supply alternatives and provides less ratepayer risk while maintaining safe and reliable electric service than other feasibly available long-term power supply alternatives; and
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 58-33-180
- certificate: means a certificate of environmental compatibility and public convenience and necessity. See South Carolina Code 58-33-20
- commission: means Public Service Commission. See South Carolina Code 58-33-20
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- major utility facility: means :
(a) electric generating plant and associated facilities designed for, or capable of, operation at a capacity of more than seventy-five megawatts. See South Carolina Code 58-33-20 - utility: means any person engaged in the generating, distributing, sale, delivery, or furnishing of electricity for public use. See South Carolina Code 58-33-20
(b) energy efficiency measures; demand-side management; renewable energy resource generation; available long-term power supply alternatives, or any combination thereof, would not establish or maintain a more cost-effective and reliable generation system and that the construction and operation of the facility is in the public interest.
(2) Available long-term power supply alternatives may include, but are not limited to, power purchase agreements, competitive procurement of renewable energy, joint dispatch agreements, market purchases from an existing regional transmission organization, joining or creating a new regional transmission organization, using best available technology for energy generation, transmission, storage and distribution, or any combination thereof.
(3) The commission shall consider any previous analysis performed pursuant to § 58-37-40 in acting upon any petition by the Public Service Authority pursuant to this section. The commission shall also take into account the Public Service Authority’s resource and fuel diversity, reasonably anticipated future operating costs, arrangements with other electric utilities for interchange of power, pooling of plants, purchase of power and other alternative methods for providing reliable, efficient, and economical electric service.
(B) The Public Service Authority shall file an estimate of construction costs in such detail as the commission may require. No certificate shall be granted unless the commission has approved the estimated construction costs and made a finding that construction will be consistent with the Authority’s commission-approved plan for expansion of electric generating capacity.