The SCANA Corp. has hidden information from the public for months.

Despite almost 20 lawsuits and orders to release documents about its failed $9 billion nuclear project, the company hasn’t budged.

SCE&G has charged ratepayers an estimated $1.8 billion on the $9 billion they say they invested in the two failed nuclear reactors.

That’s 20% interest if it is going, as the company told the Public Service Commission, to pay for construction financing costs.

That means interest on billions borrowed to build two nuclear reactors that were to give 700,000 ratepayers cheaper power.

Commercial lending rates are under 5% in South Carolina and home mortgage rates under 4%.

ORS Director Nannette Edwards said an agency economist figured from SCE&G data that of the $2 billion ratepayers were charged, $1.17 billion went to SCANA investors, not lenders to pay off interest.

She also said the $9 billion SCE&G says it spent was for more than nuclear.

“When they borrowed the money, they borrowed it for all their operations.”

Frank Knapp of the SC Small Business Chamber and the Stop the Blank Check Coalition said the $2 billion SCE&G has collected has only been for the construction finance costs on about $5 billion.

Santee Cooper sold bonds to cover their $4 billion share of financing costs.

If that is correct, it would almost double the interest rate that SCE&G ratepayers are being charged.

The Chronicle has asked Eric Boomhower of SCANA for an explanation. So far, he has not replied.

Critics say this could be a reason SCANA has ignored lawsuit requests for hundreds of documents.

Critics also question if some of this money went to bonuses and golden parachutes for SCANA brass.

“It better not be used for that purpose,” Knapp said.

“That would be fraud because they told the PSC, which approved the rate hike, that money was to pay financing costs.”

The Chronicle has asked Attorney General Alan Wilson what his office and the State Law Enforcement Division are doing about looking into SCANA’s financing and what it has been charging its ratepayers over 11 years.