SCE&G first utility in South Carolina to achieve 42 megawatts of utility-scale solar

SCE&G has met the utility-scale solar goal set forth by the South Carolina Distributed Resource Program Act, or Act 236, by producing 42 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar power by 2020. The achievement was celebrated today, along with the dedication of the Otarre Solar Park. Otarre Solar Park developer TIG Sun Energy and project builder Hannah Solar Government Services participated in the dedication ceremony.

“We are pleased to have reached this goal for utility-scale solar power ahead of the 2020 deadline,” said Keller Kissam, incoming president and COO of SCE&G. “When we started working to achieve the goals, we also set out to demonstrate that solar isn’t just a program, but it’s an integral part of our generation portfolio. It’s a part of our future and the future of South Carolina. We’re happy to celebrate this important milestone today with TIG and Hannah Solar.”

Otarre Solar Park facts:

• The construction and interconnection of Otarre Solar Park brought an additional 1.62 MW of utility-scale solar power to SCE&G’s grid.
• The park is located on Saxe Gotha Road in the Otarre development corridor of Cayce, adjacent to the corporate campus of SCANA, parent company of SCE&G.
• Otarre Solar Park, which consists of 6,156 panels, provides enough electricity to power approximately 320 homes.
• The solar park was interconnected to SCE&G’s electric system in October 2017 and now supplies clean energy to SCE&G customers.

TIG Sun Energy, a division of The InterTech Group, financed, owns and operates the facility, while Hannah Solar Government Services engineered, designed and built the park. TIG Sun Energy also developed the Jerry Zucker Solar Park in Charleston, SCE&G’s first utility-scale solar facility and the first developed under the South Carolina Distributed Resource Act of 2014.

SCE&G has been evaluating and pursuing additional renewable energy sources since 2007. After forming a dedicated renewable energy team in 2013, SCE&G worked with stakeholders from across the state, including conservation groups and other utilities, to develop Act 236, which established net energy metering rules, introduced distributed energy programs and allowed customer access to solar leasing options. There are nearly 6,000 solar customers who are interconnected to SCE&G’s electric system by owning and operating renewable energy generation facilities, such as solar energy systems.

About SCE&G

South Carolina Electric & Gas Company is a regulated public utility engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity to approximately 717,000 customers in 24 counties in the central, southern and southwestern portions of South Carolina. The company also provides natural gas service to approximately 362,000 customers in 35 counties in the state.