When good old boys want something, they bring cash.

Dominion Energy, new owner of SCANA and SC Electric & Gas, gave $15,000 to Gov. Henry McMaster’s inaugural festivities, The State newspaper reported.

So did Duke Energy which serves upstate customers.

Among the $25,000 donors was NextEra which wants to buy ex-SCANA partner and taxpayer-owned Santee Cooper which Mc-Master wants to sell.

(See “Who Gave What” for donor names and amounts.)

Lexington County sponsors included Nephron Pharmaceuticals ($15,000), Michelin ($10,000) and Mc-Whirter Bellinger ($5,000).

NextEra and Dominion did not respond to The State’s requests to comment.

The governor’s spokesman Brian Symmes said, “Companies that do business in the state and serve our people have a long history of supporting inaugural events.”

Critics say the SCANA-Santee Cooper nuclear fiasaco shows utilities have too much influence over state officials who oversee them as regulated monopolies.

They ask if donors are driven by other motives.

Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, introduced a bill last year to halt utilities from making campaign donations to state elected officials.

Businesses and individuals pledged at least $815,000 to pay for inaugural events held for all statewide elected officials, including the governor, according to the 97th SC Inaugural Committee.

78 sponsors pledged money for last week’s black-tie gala and other events.

Donors include large employers. Some of them received tax incentives for expansions that produced jobs, The State reported.

Unlike campaign contribution limits of $3,500, inaugural donors have no limit.

During last year’s campaign, McMaster was criticized for taking $115,000 from SCANA executives just before they abandoned the $9 billion nuclear project.

Despite that, McMaster forced Santee Cooper to disclose a secret analysis that found SCANA mismanaged the nuclear project.

He also vetoed a bill to cut SCE&G rates 15%. He wanted them cut 18%.