2013 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 58 - Public Utilities, Services and Carriers
CHAPTER 37 - ENERGY SUPPLY AND EFFICIENCY
SECTION 58-37-40. Integrated resource plans.

(A) Electrical utilities and the South Carolina Public Service Authority must prepare integrated resource plans. The South Carolina Public Service Authority and electrical utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission must submit their plans to the State Energy Office. The plan submitted by the South Carolina Public Service Authority must be developed in consultation with electric cooperatives and municipally-owned electric utilities purchasing power and energy from the authority and must include the effect of demand-side management activities of electric cooperatives and municipally-owned electric utilities which directly purchase power and energy from the authority or sell power and energy which the authority generates. All plans must be submitted every three years and must be updated on an annual basis. The first integrated resource plan of the South Carolina Public Service Authority must be submitted no later than June 30, 1993. An integrated resource plan may be patterned after the integrated resource planning process developed by the Public Service Commission. For electrical utilities subject to the jurisdiction of the commission, submission of their plans as required by the commission constitutes compliance with this section. Nothing in this subsection may be construed as requiring interstate natural gas companies whose rates and services are regulated only by the federal government or gas utilities subject to the jurisdiction of the South Carolina Public Service Commission to prepare and submit an integrated resource plan.

(B) Electric cooperatives and municipally-owned electric utilities must submit integrated resource plans to the State Energy Office whenever they are required by federal law to prepare these plans or if they plan to acquire, by purchase or construction, ownership of additional generating capacity greater than twelve megawatts per unit. An integrated resource plan must be submitted to the State Energy Office by an electric cooperative or municipally-owned electric utility twelve months before the acquisition, by purchase or construction, of additional generating capacity in excess of twelve megawatts per unit. For an electric cooperative, submission to the State Energy Office of its plan in a format complying with the then current Rural Electrification Administration regulations constitutes compliance with this section.

(C) The State Energy Office, to the extent practicable, shall evaluate and comment on external environmental and economic consequences of each integrated resource plan submitted and on the environmental and economic consequences for suppliers and distributors.

(D) The State Energy Office shall coordinate the preparation of an integrated resource plan for the State and shall coordinate with regional groups, including the Southern States Energy Board.

(E) The State Energy Office must not exercise any regulatory authority with regard to the requirements set forth in this chapter.

HISTORY: 1992 Act No. 449, Part IV Section 1, eff July 1, 1992; 1997 Act No. 26, Sections 3, 4, eff May 21, 1997.