An undisclosed deal may delight Dominion Energy’s 725,000 ratepayers.

A plea agreement with SCANA’s top nuclear executive requires Dominion to provide at least $4 billion in SC ratepayer relief “over time,” according to US Attorney Peter McCoy Jr.

How that will figure into Dominion’s upcoming August request for higher rates is not yet clear.

Critics ask if state regulators will give Dominion what it wants despite the $4 billion owed ratepayers.

Dominion previously agreed to absorb the cost of that payback, said Tom Clements of Savannah River Watch, a close observer of the utility’s situation.

“The federal attorney’s office must have included reference to it in the court filing to make the outcome of the construction debacle sound less bad,” he said.

“It would be good to see a Dominion comment.”

The Chronicle has asked Dominion for a response.

Virginia-based Dominion acquired Lexington Countybased SCANA in a $14.6 billion deal in December 2018.

SCANA subsidiary SC Electric & Gas settled a ratepayer lawsuit in December 2018 for $2 billion.

“This office will always protect the people of South Carolina and hold accountable those who seek to use positions of trust and responsibility to bilk taxpayers,” the US Attorney’s statement read.

“As noted in the record, the defendant [former Irmo resident Steve Byrne] conspired with others to lie about the progress of the VC Summer Nuclear Station so SCANA could wrongly increase rates on hard-working South Carolinians and qualify for up to $1.4 billion in tax credits.

“We will not allow this conduct to go unpunished.”

Byrne faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and $1 million in fines.

US District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea this week.

She will impose a sentence after reviewing a Probation Office sentencing report.

Others who may be indicted include Byrne’s ex-boss, SCANA CEO Kevin Marsh, and CFO Jimmy Addison, their lawyers and board members.

The construction of twin nuclear reactors in Fairfield County was abandoned in July 2017 after years of mounting costs and construction delays.

Marsh, Byrne and Addison assured the Public Service Commission for years that the project was proceeding well.

Federal officials are investigating whether those increases were granted based on deceptive information from SCANA executives who are alleged to have hidden damaging information about the project’s failures.

“This conspiracy to defraud SCANA customers is breathtaking in scope and audacity,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Jody Norris said.