Laurens CPW and City of Clinton Land Nearly $1.8M for Grid Resilience Upgrades

Laurens County will see significant investment in its electric infrastructure following Santee Cooper’s approval of a second round of Grid Resilience Grants. Two local utilities—Laurens Commission of Public Works (CPW) and the City of Clinton—were selected for projects totaling $1,792,297.

What’s coming to Laurens County

Laurens CPW — $1,347,097

• Restringing primary and secondary electric distribution lines with new cables

• Accelerated vegetation management in disadvantaged neighborhoods within the City of Laurens

• Goal: reduce outages and speed restoration during severe weather

City of Clinton — $445,200

• Vegetation management

• Upgrades to outage management systems

• Systematic pole inspections

• Goal: improve reliability and shorten restoration times across Clinton’s electric system

“These 14 projects represent a powerful step forward in strengthening South Carolina’s electric grid, especially in communities that are most vulnerable to outages,” said Jimmy Staton, President and CEO of Santee Cooper. “We’re proud to partner with the Department of Energy and utilities across the state to deliver smarter, more resilient energy solutions for South Carolinians.”

Why it matters here

The upgrades target two of Laurens County’s population centers, focusing on reliability, safety, and faster recovery after storms. The emphasis on disadvantaged areas in Laurens ensures resources are directed where extended outages can be most disruptive.

How the program works

Santee Cooper serves as the state administrator for this formula grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Section 40101(d)). Project submissions were reviewed and scored by Santee Cooper and independent consultant Guidehouse. With final approval from the U.S. Department of Energy, work on the selected projects can begin.

In all, 14 projects statewide were approved in this round, totaling $6.9 million. Laurens CPW’s award is among the larger single grants, and Clinton’s project adds targeted improvements to enhance reliability for residents and businesses.

Image source – Santee Cooper