If South Carolina is going to continue to grow economically, it’s important that the State has a strong utility industry.
2021 was a turbulent year for many industries, but the numbers looking at wages and employees are concerning. The Utility industry led the development the wrong way. The average weekly salary fell according to dew with almost 1%, being the only industry where the salaries fell.

That the GDP fell by 13% between 2020-2021 is also concerning, even if Covid can explain a lot of this, it’s still concerning since the industry needs the revenues both for wages, investment in transmission and distribution for a more resilient network that is prepared for global warming, electrification of the industry, and our car fleets.

In South Carolina, utility companies are investing an average of $3.50 per customer per year in EV infrastructure according to Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE). This is higher than the national average due to the state’s aggressive EV goals. South Carolina has set a goal of having 1 million EVs on the road by 2030.

The amount of energy that 1 million EVs would use annually depends on the average energy consumption of each EV. However, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average energy consumption of an electric vehicle is around 35 kWh per 100 miles. This means 1 million EVs would use about 35 billion kWh of electricity annually.

To put this in perspective, the average American household uses about 10,000 kWh of electricity annually. So, 1 million EVs would use about the same amount of electricity as 3.5 million households.

To be able to generate all the needed electricity for our EVs in a growing SC, we need to invest both in generation and in distribution. 

Interconnection is the biggest hurdle to future success!

This is today the biggest hurdle for South Carolina with an average time of 12-18 months, and for larger projects even more. With a state that is both hungry and successful in recruiting manufacturers, the State must enable independent power producers to support the big three regarding the interconnection so that South Carolina can continue to prosper.

The wages are needed

To recruit more talent, we need great leadership and competitive salaries, because our industry is a key for South Carolina’s future.