Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, founded in 1934, serving over 200,000 retail customers directly and approximately 2 million South Carolinians indirectly through wholesale partnerships with 20 electric cooperatives, municipalities, and 27 large industrial facilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1934
- HeadquartersMoncks Corner, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Santee Cooper does
Santee Cooper, formally the South Carolina Public Service Authority, is the state of South Carolina's largest public power utility, founded in 1934 as a New Deal-era rural electrification project. Headquartered in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, the utility directly serves over 200,000 retail electricity customers across Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry counties, and provides wholesale power to Central Electric Power Cooperative (its largest customer), which distributes to 20 electric cooperatives across the state, plus multiple municipal utilities. In total, approximately 2 million South Carolinians receive power from Santee Cooper directly or indirectly, and the utility also supplies 27 large industrial facilities, wholesale water to four counties, and drinking water to more than 200,000 people through its regional water systems.
The utility operates a diversified generation portfolio spanning hydroelectric (Jefferies Station, operational since 1942), natural gas, nuclear, solar, and battery storage (including the planned 300 MW/1,200 MWh Pinopolis BESS with Aypa Power). Santee Cooper is pursuing a major capacity transformation: adding 2,100+ MW of solar and 1,020 MW of natural gas generation over the next decade, retiring over 1,100 MW of coal, reviving the V.C. Summer AP1000 nuclear project with Brookfield Asset Management ($2.7 billion deal), and partnering with Dominion Energy on the 2,200 MW Canadys Station. On the technology side, the utility modernized its customer operations platform with Oracle Utilities Customer Cloud Service (delivered by Red Clay Consulting), cutting batch jobs by 50% and nightly billing by three hours.
Santee Cooper makes money primarily through subscription/recurring revenue streams: retail electric sales to residential and commercial customers under monthly billing with peak-hour demand charges (April-October), wholesale electric contracts with cooperatives and municipalities, long-term power supply agreements with industrial customers (including a Century Aluminum agreement through 2031), and wholesale water sales. The utility pursues economic development as a core mission, helping bring over $25 billion in capital investment and 94,000 jobs to South Carolina since 1988. As a state-owned entity, it operates under a 14-member Board (12 gubernatorial appointees plus two ex officio members) without traditional equity ownership.
Santee Cooper firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Santee Cooper
- Legal name
- South Carolina Public Service Authority
- Website
- https://santeecooper.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1934
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Santee Cooper is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, founded in 1934, serving over 200,000 retail customers directly and approximately 2 million South Carolinians indirectly through wholesale partnerships with 20 electric cooperatives, municipalities, and 27 large industrial facilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Santee Cooper industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric and Water Utility Services
- NAICS
- Credit Unions (522130)
- SIC
- Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus) (FSABAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Agricultural & Rural Cooperatives (Farm Credit/Co-op Banks) (FSABAEAG)
Keywords
Where Santee Cooper is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Moncks Corner
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Santee Cooper business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Electric Sales: Direct electricity sales to over 200,000 retail customers in Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties
- Wholesale Electric Sales: Wholesale power supply to Central Electric Power Cooperative, cities of Bamberg and Georgetown, Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, and Alabama Municipal Electric Authority
- Industrial Power Agreements: Power supply agreements with 27 large industrial facilities including Century Aluminum
- Wholesale Water Sales: Wholesale water supply to consumers in Berkeley, Calhoun, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties and the Town of Santee
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Residential retail rates with peak hour demand charges |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Santee Cooper product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Santee Cooper (South Carolina Public Service Authority) is a state-owned public utility that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity and water to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers across South Carolina. It serves over 200,000 retail customers directly in Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties and provides wholesale electricity and water to electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and 27 large industrial facilities, supplying power directly or indirectly to approximately 2 million people.
Product overview
Santee Cooper operates as a single unified utility service provider offering electricity and water services to South Carolina. The product portfolio consists of a core customer service platform (MEL/My Energy Link) supported by various add-on programs and modules including energy efficiency programs (EmpowerHome, EmpowerBusiness), renewable energy initiatives (EmpowerSolar, 2026 Solar RFP), EV programs (EmpowerAuto), demand response (Defeat The Peak, Santee Cooper Rewards), and a customer marketplace. The utility also provides AI-powered customer support through Chat with Cooper. All offerings are designed to serve residential and business customers while managing grid reliability and supporting South Carolina's energy infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MEL (My Energy Link): Customer service website and mobile app for account management, bill viewing, and energy use tracking.
Products and services
- Retail Electricity Service Direct electricity supply to over 200,000 retail customers in Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties, South Carolina. Includes monthly billing, customer service through MEL (My Energy Link), and access to energy efficiency, demand response, and rebate programs.
- Wholesale Electricity Supply
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked 10th nationally for residential reliability among nearly 500 utilities
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Santee Cooper
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Santee Cooper technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
Santee Cooper partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- RWEminorRWE is developing the Sandy Run Solar project in Cross community of Berkeley County, a 198-megawatt solar facility on approximately 1,500 acres that will work with Santee Cooper which faces an expected power shortfall by 2029.
- The Energy AuthorityminorSantee Cooper issued 2026 Solar RFP through The Energy Authority RFP Marketplace, inviting qualified solar developers to submit proposals for utility-scaled photovoltaic projects through 2030.
- Dominion EnergycoreJoint project with Dominion Energy to construct Canadys Station, a 2,200-megawatt natural gas combined-cycle generating facility in Colleton County on a former coal plant site. The project received approval from the Public Service Commission of South Carolina.
- The Nuclear Company (TNC)coreThe Nuclear Company and Brookfield formed a joint venture selected as project manager for the V.C. Summer nuclear project in Fairfield County, South Carolina. The new company specializes in Westinghouse reactor technology (AP1000 and AP300) with end-to-end project management, licensing support, and construction oversight.
- Century AluminumcorePower agreement with Century Aluminum extending through 2031 for their Mt. Holly, South Carolina aluminum smelter expansion, enabling restart of over 50,000 metric tons of idled capacity.
- OraclecoreSantee Cooper implemented Oracle Utilities Customer Cloud Service to modernize its customer operations platform, consolidating billing, customer management, and operational processes. Migration delivered measurable improvements including 50% reduction in daily batch job execution time.
- Red Clay ConsultingcoreRed Clay Consulting delivered the Oracle Utilities Customer Cloud Service implementation for Santee Cooper, enabling modernization of customer billing and operations platform.
- Aypa PowerminorAypa Power will build, own, and operate the Pinopolis Reliability Project, a 300MW/1,200MWh lithium iron phosphate battery energy storage system in South Carolina, expected to be the largest battery storage installation in the state.
- Central Electric Power CooperativecoreSantee Cooper's largest customer, Central Electric Power Cooperative distributes wholesale power to 20 electric cooperatives across South Carolina, serving rural communities.
- Kinder MorgancorePipeline partnership for the Bridge Project, a $431 million, 71-mile natural gas pipeline through Hampton and Colleton counties to supply the proposed Canadys Station power plant.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Santee Cooper competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Southern Company: Large investor-owned electric utility holding company serving Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Comparable diversified generation portfolio (including nuclear), regulated monopoly service territories, and large-scale industrial customer base.
- NextEra Energy: Largest renewable energy generator in North America with regulated Florida utility subsidiary. Comparable in aggressive renewable/solar build-out strategy, battery storage development, and large-scale generation planning.
- Duke Energy: Largest electric utility in the Southeast US serving the Carolinas. Comparable in generation mix, customer segments (residential, commercial, industrial), regulatory oversight, and economic development role across overlapping South Carolina service territory.
- American Electric Power (AEP): One of the largest US electric utilities with transmission operations across 11 states. Comparable diversified generation portfolio including coal, natural gas, nuclear, and renewables, with similar coal retirement and transition planning.
- Xcel Energy: Investor-owned utility serving 8 Midwestern and Western states. Comparable in aggressive clean energy transition, large renewable build-out plans, and integrated electricity and natural gas operations.
Emerging players
- Brookfield Renewable Partners: Brookfield subsidiary and Santee Cooper's V.C. Summer nuclear partner. Comparable through Brookfield's $2.7 billion MOU to complete the AP1000 units and adjacent renewable development activity in South Carolina.
Direct peers
- Entergy Corporation: Investor-owned electric utility serving Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. Comparable customer mix including large industrial customers, nuclear generation exposure, and integrated T&D operations across the Southeast.
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): Federal public power utility serving Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. Most directly comparable as another large publicly-owned power utility with diversified generation, integrated economic development mission, and absence of traditional shareholder structure.
- Dominion Energy: Major investor-owned electric utility serving the Southeast US. Directly comparable as Santee Cooper's joint venture partner on the Canadys Station natural gas project, with overlapping generation, transmission, and regulatory experience in South Carolina.
- Central Electric Power Cooperative: South Carolina's generation and transmission cooperative and Santee Cooper's largest wholesale customer. Comparable as a member-owned cooperative utility distributing wholesale power to 20 electric cooperatives across rural South Carolina.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Santee Cooper social profiles
Digital presenceSantee Cooper financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Santee Cooper leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Santee Cooper funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Santee Cooper M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Santee Cooper
What does Santee Cooper do?
Santee Cooper (South Carolina Public Service Authority) is a state-owned public utility that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity and water to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers across South Carolina. It serves over 200,000 retail customers directly in Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties and provides wholesale electricity and water to electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and 27 large industrial facilities, supplying power directly or indirectly to approximately 2 million people.
Is Santee Cooper a public or private company?
Santee Cooper is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Santee Cooper founded?
Santee Cooper was founded in 1934. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Santee Cooper based?
Santee Cooper is headquartered in Moncks Corner, United States, in the North America region.
How does Santee Cooper make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Electric Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Electric Sales, industrial Power Agreements and wholesale Water Sales.
Who are Santee Cooper's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Southern Company, NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, American Electric Power (AEP) and Xcel Energy. Brookfield Renewable Partners is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Entergy Corporation, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Dominion Energy and Central Electric Power Cooperative.
Does Santee Cooper have an API?
No public API is recorded for Santee Cooper.
What industry is Santee Cooper in?
Santee Cooper's product category is Electric and Water Utility Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAEAA, Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus), with a secondary code of FSABAEAG, Agricultural & Rural Cooperatives (Farm Credit/Co-op Banks). Its NAICS code is 522130 and its SIC code is 4900.