Santee Cooper: 90 Years of Serving South Carolina

Posted on July 16, 2024 by John Brush

Ninety years ago, South Carolina Governor Ibra Blackwood inked his signature on the bill passed by the Legislature that established the South Carolina Public Service Authority, known today as Santee Cooper, to bring electricity to rural South Carolina.

Today, Santee Cooper serves more than 2 million people, is one of the nation's largest public power utilities, and is the only large electric utility headquartered in South Carolina.

A Strong Legacy

In 1934, the South Carolina Legislature created Santee Cooper "for the benefit of all the people of South Carolina and for the improvements of their health, welfare and material prosperity." Once Santee Cooper was established, work began to construct two reservoirs (Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie) and a hydroelectric plant to serve rural South Carolina, which in turn sparked prosperity in the Depression-ravaged state.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported the Santee-Cooper Project, and it became the largest New Deal program in the Palmetto State. All funds for the $31 million project (five times the state's 1934 budget) came from federal loans and grants. In 1941, construction on the project accelerated when President Roosevelt named Santee Cooper's Pinopolis Power Plant (now Jefferies Hydroelectric Station) a national defense project when America joined World War II.

On Feb. 17, 1942, Santee Cooper first generated electricity at Jefferies Hydroelectric Station to support the Allied war effort. The hydro station continues to produce renewable energy today.

We're proud of this legacy and proud to continue serving the people of South Carolina. Click here for more information about Santee Cooper's 90 years of serving South Carolina.