Nuclear Regulatory Commission renews Jenkinsville power station's license for another 20 years
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has renewed the operating license for V.C. Summer Nuclear Station, Unit 1, in Jenkinsville, SC, for an additional 20 years. The Fairfield County power plant provides electricity for customers of Dominion Energy and Santee-Cooper through its 966-megawatt nuclear unit.
V.C. Summer was initially licensed to operate for 40 years, from 1982 through 2022. In 2002, the NRC extended that operating license to an expiration date of 2042. This latest extension, requested by Dominion and approved by the NRC on June 30, 2025, will continue operations in Jenkinsville into 2062.
NCR's review process included a safety evaluation report that was issued in February 2025, and a final supplemental environmental impact statement issued in May 2025. Both of these reports and other information regarding V.C. Summer's license renewal application can be found on the NRC website.
In 2017, work on two additional nuclear reactors at V.C. Summer was abandoned by South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G was later purchased by Dominion) and Santee-Cooper (a state-owned utility), leaving rate-payers stuck with a $9 billion bill and not a single additional wattage of power generated under the Base Load Review Act. Costs at the site spiraled out of control, leading to federal convictions of some utility leaders and -- eventually -- some amount of incidental checks to rate payers.
In 2024, South Carolina lawmakers began discussions about restarting construction at the Jenkinsville site, this time with private companies taking on the financial risk rather than rate payers. In January 2025, a joint resolution was filed encouraging Santee-Cooper to explore finishing work on reactor Units 2 and 3.
South Carolina’s abandoned V.C. Summer nuclear project may restart as Santee Cooper seeks private companies to complete it, shifting risks from ratepayers.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A failed project to build two nuclear reactors in Fairfield County may be getting a second life.
The V.C. Summer site, abandoned in 2017, left South Carolina ratepayers stuck with a $9 billion bill—and not a single watt of energy generated. But now, Santee Cooper is calling on private companies to submit proposals to finish the project.
The reactors, originally intended to produce more than 2,000 megawatts of energy, sit now at the site in Jenkinsville, alongside an existing reactor that was previously built.
Under the Base Load Review Act, ratepayers had been funding the project upfront, leading to outrage and federal convictions of some utility leaders when costs spiraled out of control.
State Sen. Tom Davis said this time would be different, with private companies taking on the financial risks instead of ratepayers.
“They’re purchasing the asset and completing it, or proposing to complete it at their own risk, using their own capital,” Davis said. “You’re not obligating the ratepayers to do anything.”
One was around 60% completed and the other was around 40% complete when construction was halted, according to a report given to the Governor's Nuclear Advisory Council after a site visit in September. They say the reactors remain in good condition with "no apparent degradation" to the facility.
As the state faces increasing energy demands as its population grows and companies—some requiring enough power for an entire city—move in. With the energy demands growing. lawmakers need an "all of the above approach," says John Brooker, with Conservation Voters of South Carolina.
“South Carolina sees kind of a massive potential load growth, and all these companies coming in that might use a city's worth of energy, we want to make sure that they're paying their fair share and that everyday rate payers aren't having to pick up the tab, so to speak, for new power plants,” Brooker said.
Lawmakers are likely to consider other options in the coming weeks. A special Senate committee worked on energy solutions over the summer, discussing multiple solutions, including another proposed gas facility on the Edisto River. Brooker says energy efficiency should be a priority too, being less costly than massive power projects.
“In South Carolina, we’re often in the bottom three in the nation in energy efficiency,” he said. “That’s some real low-hanging fruit that we think would make a big difference in terms of how much energy we would need to produce."
Sen. Davis has filed a joint resolution, supported by more than 30 sponsors, encouraging Santee Cooper to explore finishing the reactors. Interested companies have until May to submit proposals.