(Columbia, S.C.) State:



S.C. lawmakers Tuesday urged state regulators to block SCE&G from charging its customers any more for the failed V.C. Summer nuclear project, a day after the release of a report that diagnosed critical problems at the construction site about 18 months before its abandonment.

That report, completed by Bechtel Corp. in February 2016, shows SCE&G and the state-owned Santee Cooper utility were warned the Fairfield County venture suffered a host of problems, including flawed construction plans, faulty designs and inadequate management of contractors.

Lawmakers who read the lengthy report Tuesday say it confirmed that SCE&G – and not its ratepayers – should shoulder any future costs.



Kirkman Finlay, R-Richland, who is on a S.C. House committee investigating the nuclear fiasco.

Finlay and others say the S.C. Public Service Commission, the state board that has OK’d nine SCE&G rate hikes since 2008 for the nuclear project, should reject any further V.C. Summer-related rate-hike requests from the utility.

SCE&G customers already have paid $1.7 billion toward the failed project. In August, the Cayce-based utility filed – then withdrew – a request to charge customers at least another $2.2 billion to shutter the project.

However, the Bechtel report could undermine any efforts by SCE&G to recoup those costs.



More: Long-secret report could save SCE&G’s customers billions