Plans to help ratepayers, business community

Special to the Chronicle

Dominion Energy will invest up to $30 million in the community over 5 years.

That’s in addition to $1.3 million already pledged in $1,000 refunds to 1,300 of SC Electric & Gas’s 727,000 ratepayers.

Both commitments depend on the SC Public Service Commission approving the Virginia utility buying SCE&G and its owners, Lexington County-based SCANA.

Jason Waters of Dominion Energy revealed this in speaking to the December Lexington Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

Waters is a Lexington native and Dominion’s interstate marketing manager.

SCANA invested $5 million a year in the communities they serve, he said.

Dominion has promised to increase that by $1 million each year for at least 5 years – a $30 million pledge.

Waters was born and raised in Lexington and lives here with his wife and 7-year old daughter.

He is a 17-year energy industry veteran. He worked 12 years in customer service and business development at Carolina Gas Transmission, a SCANA subsidiary. In 2015, Dominion bought Carolina Gas Transmission.

Dominion Energy operates in 19 states with more than 16,000 employees and 6 million customers.

The average ratepayer will receive about $1,000 in refunds, he said.

That’s in addition to a proposed 5% cut in the 18% rate increases SCE&G made over the last 10 years for its failed nuclear project.

Dominion promised to reduce the 13% higher rates after 20 years.

Waters told chamber members he hopes the PSC will approve the sale this month.

The $1,000 refunds will be sent to ratepayers within 90 days of completing the sale, he said.

Dominion has no plans to complete the failed $9 billion nuclear project, he said. Nuclear simply isn’t as cost effective as solar, hydro and natural gas.