SCE&G and Santee Cooper announced in February 2006 that they have selected the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station site near Jenkinsville, S.C., as the preferred site should they move forward with constructing a new nuclear facility. Locating a new unit at the V.C. Summer site has many advantages.

The plant boasts a highly skilled workforce, a state-of-the-art training center, specialized facilities already in place, transmission interconnections and an ample supply of cooling water. In addition, V.C. Summer is ranked highly in many industry performance indicators and, according to a recent assessment by a team of its peers, it has a strong and very healthy safety culture.

From an economic development standpoint, there are both short term and long term implications for the Midlands. The construction phase could employ approximately 1,000 to 2,000 people for three-to-four years, and the operation of the plant could add approximately 450 permanent jobs to the site. Currently, V.C. Summer has about 630 company employees.

In addition, there would be financial benefits for Fairfield County that would also contribute to the local infrastructure. The company currently pays the county more than $19 million in property taxes for V.C. Summer.

The final decision to build a nuclear generating plant is several years away and there are many variables to consider before the decision is made. However, should nuclear power be chosen as the best option to meet future needs, below is a projected timeline of the process.