Santee Cooper approves $500,000 EV grant program

Seeks community projects that advance EV adoption

Santee Cooper will offer grants designed to help transform the Grand Strand and other parts of the utility’s service territory into electric vehicle-friendly destinations.

The Santee Cooper Board of Directors today approved establishing an electric vehicle (EV) grant program that will evaluate government and business proposals that advance an EV support network – everything from local market research to publicly available charging stations. The Board authorized funding of $500,000, with $300,000 of that included in the 2022-2024 budgets and the remainder to be included in subsequent budgets.

“This EV grant program will provide critical infrastructure and education, help reduce range anxiety and other barriers to owning an electric vehicle, and increase their adoption,” Santee Cooper Acting President and CEO Charlie Duckworth said. “It will help establish portions of Horry, Georgetown and Berkeley counties as EV-friendly destinations.”

What you need to know:

• The EV grant program establishes EV-friendly destinations and will provide critical infrastructure and education.
• Funds will be awarded in two grant cycles per year. Funding will be capped at $25,000 per proposal.
• Details are being finalized. Look for more information on the grant program soon at www.empowerscauto.com.
• A recent survey of Santee Cooper commercial customers indicated strong interest by many in promoting EVs.
• The new grant continues Santee Cooper’s support for electric vehicles, which began a decade ago.