Title 58, Public Utilities, Services and Carriers

In construing and enforcing the provisions of this chapter relating to penalties the act, omission or failure of any officer, agent or employee of any corporation or person acting within the scope of his official duties or employment shall in every case be deemed to be also the a…

The penalties herein prescribed shall not be deemed to apply to municipalities, but the act, omission or failure of an officer, agent or employee of a municipality constituting a violation of this chapter or of any lawful order of the Commission, or any part thereof, although act…

(A) Except as provided in subsections (B) and (C) of this section, an electrical utility must not interrupt electric service to any residential customer for nonpayment of a bill until twenty-five days have elapsed from the date of billing. (B) An electrical utility may interrupt …

For purposes of this article: (1) "Licensed health care provider" means a licensed medical doctor, physician's assistant, nurse practitioner, or advanced-practice registered nurse. (2) "Special needs account customer" means the account of a residential customer: (a) when the cust…

(A) Each electrical utility must establish written procedures for termination of service due to nonpayment for a special needs account customer at any time and for all residential customers during weather conditions marked by extremely cold or hot temperatures. Each electrical ut…

An electrical utility must consider establishing and maintaining a third-party notification program to allow a residential customer to designate a third party to be notified if the electric service is scheduled for termination.

Notwithstanding another provision of this article, an electrical utility may disconnect a customer when it is determined that a public safety emergency exists.

(A) Coal combustion residuals that result from an electrical utility, an electric cooperative, a governmental entity, a corporation, or an individual producing electricity for sale or distribution by burning coal must be placed in a commercial Class 3 solid waste management landf…

Nothing in the article prohibits the commission from promulgating detailed regulations governing termination of service by an electrical utility so long as the regulations include the termination and third-party notification protections provided by this article.

This article does not create a new private right of action or a new duty of care. This article does not diminish, increase, affect, or evidence any duty of care existing under the laws of this State prior to the effective date of this article.

(A) There is established the Joint Committee on the Electrification of Transportation. The committee is comprised of four members of the Senate, two of whom are appointed by the Chairman of Senate Finance and two of whom are appointed by the Chairman of Senate Judiciary, and four…

As used in this article: (A) "Customer-generator lessee" means the lessee of a renewable electric generation facility which: (1) generates electricity from a renewable energy resource; (2) has an electrical generating system with a capacity of: (a) not more than the lesser of one…

(A) An entity that owns a renewable electric generation facility, located on a premises or residence owned or leased by an eligible customer-generator lessee to serve the electric energy requirements of that particular premises or residence or to enable the customer-generator les…

(A) Before any entity other than an entity lawfully providing retail electric service to the public in this State commences to do business as a lessor of renewable electric generation facilities under the terms of this article, that entity shall submit an application to the Offic…

(A) Not more than thirty days after installation of a renewable electric generation facility leased to a customer-generator lessee, the lessor shall register the facility with the Office of Regulatory Staff on forms developed and provided by the Office of Regulatory Staff. This r…

The Office of Regulatory Staff shall have the authority to investigate claims of violations of the provisions of Section 58-27-2610 committed by electrical utilities and lessors of renewable electric generation facilities.

(A) No earlier than April 1, 2023, the Public Service Commission shall open a docket for the purpose of identifying the regulatory challenges and opportunities associated with the electrification of the transportation sector. At a minimum, the commission shall study the following…

Section 58-27-2610 shall not become effective until the commission has approved net energy metering rates referenced in Chapter 40, Title 58 for all investor-owned electrical utilities serving more than one hundred thousand retail customer accounts in South Carolina.

(A)(1) The Office of Regulatory Staff and the Department of Consumer Affairs are directed to develop consumer protection regulations regarding the sale or lease of renewable energy generation facilities pursuant to the distributed energy resource program in Chapter 40 of this tit…

(A) The South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff through any existing electric vehicle stakeholder initiatives launched by the regulatory staff, shall complete a stakeholder process to facilitate a broad, collaborative statewide discussion among stakeholders to explore the oppor…

A public utility providing retail electric service, in its discretion and at any time, may elect to have the terms of this article apply to its rates and charges for retail electric service, on a prospective basis, by filing a notice of the election with the commission and on the…

The election by a utility to have the terms of this article apply to its rates and charges for retail electric service once made shall remain in effect until the next general rate proceeding for the public utility under Section 58-27-860, at which time the public utility may then…

In issuing its order pursuant to Section 58-27-2710, and in addition to the other requirements of Section 58-27-2710, if a proceeding pursuant to that section is required, then: (1) the commission shall specify a range for the utility's cost of equity that includes a band of fift…

The utility shall file with the commission monitoring reports for each twelve-month period ending on March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year, the filings to be made no later than the fifteenth day of the third month following the close of the period. The uti…

(A) In the monitoring report filed for the twelve-month period ending December thirty-first of each year, the utility shall provide additional schedules indicating the following revenue calculations: (1) if the utility's earnings exceed the upper end of the range established in t…

The Office of Regulatory Staff shall review the monitoring report filed pursuant to Section 58-27-2730 and Section 58-27-2740 to determine compliance with its terms, taking into account the findings of any audit conducted by the Office of Regulatory Staff concerning compliance wi…

The procedures contained in this section shall apply to monitoring reports related to the quarter ending December 31. (1) The utility shall file the monitoring reports annually with the commission and Office of Regulatory Staff on or before March 15. (2) In cases where the monito…

In calculating its revenue requirement under Section 58-27-2730, and apart from the recovery of a return on construction work in progress, an electric utility may not include in plant service its investments in any new electric generating facility of more than two hundred fifty m…

Within thirty days of the issuance of an Initial Order pursuant to Section 58-27-2760, or within thirty days of the failure by the commission to issue an order as required pursuant to Section 58-27-2760, any aggrieved party may petition the commission for review of the Initial Or…

(A) After conducting the hearing required by Section 58-27-2780, the commission shall issue a final order that: (1) sets forth any changes that are required to the rates approved in the Initial Order issued under Section 58-27-2760(5); (2) determines the amount of any overcollect…

The review of Initial Orders pursuant to Section 58-27-2780 and Section 58-27-2790 is limited to issues related to compliance with the terms of this article. Matters determined in orders issued pursuant to Section 58-27-2720 are not subject to review except in full rate proceedin…

(A) The Office of Regulatory Staff is authorized to create additional positions as the General Assembly may provide in the annual general appropriations act for the purpose of performing its duties under this article; however, no more than two positions for each electric utility …

Corporations formed to acquire property or to transact business which would be subject to the provisions of this chapter and corporations possessing franchises, powers or privileges for any of the purposes contemplated by this chapter shall be deemed to be subject to the provisio…

Each electrical utility and, to the extent covered by this title, each electric cooperative and consolidated political subdivision must obey and comply with all requirements of every order, decision, direction, rule, or regulation made or prescribed by the Public Service Commissi…

All cities and towns of the State may grant the exclusive franchise of furnishing light to such cities and towns and the inhabitants thereof. But no such franchise shall be valid unless it shall first receive the vote of two thirds of the board of aldermen or common council of th…

(A) The State shall not pay, nor shall any person, including a municipality or utility, impose, pay, or collect a franchise fee with respect to electrical power provided to the State by a utility under the "Stateline Accounts". The "Stateline Accounts" referenced in this section …

Every permit or franchise hereafter granted to any electrical utility, either by the State or any municipality thereof, shall have the effect of an indeterminate permit which shall continue in effect until terminated as provided by this chapter or by any lawful forfeiture of the …

Any electrical utility operating under an existing permit or franchise heretofore granted by the State or any municipality thereof prescribing a definite period of years for the existence of such permit or franchise shall, upon (a) filing with the commission and providing to the …

Whenever the service rendered by any electrical utility operating under an indeterminate permit shall be found inadequate by order of the Commission after hearing and such electrical utility shall fail to remedy the same after having been given a reasonable opportunity to do so, …

Any electrical utility which has been furnishing electricity to a city or town or its inhabitants under a franchise that has expired shall, with such consent of the local authorities as may be required by article VIII, section 15, of the Constitution of this State, until a new pe…

(A)(1) The commission shall promulgate and periodically review standards for interconnection and parallel operation of generating facilities to an electrical utility's distribution and transmission system, where such interconnection is under the jurisdiction of the commission pur…

All expenses and charges incurred by the commission in the administration of this chapter and in the performance of its duties thereunder shall be defrayed by assessments made by the Comptroller General against the electrical utilities regulated thereunder and based upon the gros…

When used in this article: (1) The term "electric supplier" means any electrical utility other than a municipality, any electric cooperative other than an electric cooperative engaged primarily in the business of furnishing electricity to other electric cooperatives for resale to…

With respect to service in all areas outside the corporate limits of municipalities, electric suppliers shall have rights and be subject to restrictions as follows: (1) Every electric supplier shall have the right to serve: (a) all premises being served by it, or to which any of …

Whenever there is a consolidation of government as authorized under the Constitution of this State, the rights of and restrictions on electric suppliers as provided for in Section 58-27-620 shall apply to areas within the corporate limits of a municipality being merged into a con…

The Public Service Commission shall assign, beginning as soon as practicable after January 1, 1970, to electric suppliers, all areas, by adequately defined boundaries which may be by reference to boundaries drawn on maps or otherwise, that are outside the corporate limits of muni…