South Carolina power outages by utility
20 South Carolina utilities report outage minutes to EIA. The state median is 95 minutes a year; the range runs from 32 to 293.
Ranking by outage minutes
South Carolina, SAIDI without major event days, 2024; lower is better; 20 utilities.
| Rank | South Carolina utility | Owner type | South Carolina home accounts | SAIDI min | Interruptions (SAIFI) | SAIDI with storms | South Carolina storm share | Price ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palmetto Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 68,338 | 32 | 0.69 | 631 | 95% | 12.79 |
| 2 | Greenwood CPW | Municipal | 11,753 | 34 | 0.47 | 66 | 49% | 9.04 |
| 3 | South Carolina Public Service Authority | State | 185,529 | 55 | 0.65 | 58 | 6% | 11.38 |
| 4 | Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc | Investor Owned | 696,385 | 81 | 1.19 | 1908 | 96% | 14.59 |
| 5 | Berkeley Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 115,117 | 89 | 0.94 | 293 | 70% | 14.93 |
| 6 | York Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 65,244 | 89 | 1.69 | 981 | 91% | 12.65 |
| 7 | City of Rock Hill | Municipal | 36,492 | 90 | 1.26 | 605 | 85% | 12.55 |
| 8 | MPD Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 31,874 | 90 | 1.00 | 213 | 58% | 10.94 |
| 9 | Easley Combined Utility System | Municipal | 15,772 | 94 | 1.00 | 725 | 87% | 12.81 |
| 10 | Aiken Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 49,460 | 94 | No data | 7941 | 99% | 15.53 |
| 11 | Laurens Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 58,438 | 97 | 1.14 | 8310 | 99% | 14.66 |
| 12 | Black River Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 30,610 | 99 | 1.35 | 228 | 57% | 13.47 |
| 13 | Horry Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 86,726 | 108 | 1.56 | 133 | 19% | 13.23 |
| 14 | Mid-Carolina Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 56,463 | 117 | 1.62 | 3915 | 97% | 14.88 |
| 15 | Santee Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 35,235 | 147 | No data | 442 | 67% | 14.74 |
| 16 | Lynches River Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 21,363 | 165 | 1.90 | 518 | 68% | 15.71 |
| 17 | Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC) | Cooperative | 17,672 | 175 | 2.33 | 1042 | 83% | 18.51 |
| 18 | Blue Ridge Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 67,553 | 193 | No data | 5291 | 96% | 18.94 |
| 19 | City of Orangeburg | Municipal | 20,639 | 252 | 2.13 | 733 | 66% | 15.49 |
| 20 | Edisto Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 15,421 | 293 | No data | 2355 | 88% | 16.40 |
South Carolina outage minutes by owner type
In South Carolina, 65% of 2,581,882 home accounts sit with the 20 qualifying utilities out of 26 in the file. South Carolina customer-weighted SAIDI is 93 minutes against a median of 95, and 8 of 20 South Carolina utilities exceed the U.S. median of 99. Counting major event days adds a median 84% to SAIDI.
| South Carolina owner type | South Carolina utilities | South Carolina home accounts | South Carolina median SAIDI | South Carolina weighted SAIDI | South Carolina median SAIFI | South Carolina storm share | South Carolina median price ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooperative | 14 | 719,514 | 103 | 111 | 1.45 | 85% | 14.81 |
| Investor Owned | 1 | 696,385 | 81 | 81 | 1.19 | 96% | 14.59 |
| State | 1 | 185,529 | 55 | 55 | 0.65 | 6% | 11.38 |
| Municipal | 4 | 84,656 | 92 | 122 | 1.13 | 75% | 12.68 |
By owner type, State utilities have the lowest median SAIDI in South Carolina (55 minutes, 1 of 20) and Cooperative the highest (103 minutes, 14 of 20).
South Carolina utilities that stand out
| Why it stands out | South Carolina utility | South Carolina owner type | South Carolina accounts | South Carolina SAIDI min | South Carolina SAIDI rank | South Carolina SAIFI | South Carolina SAIDI with storms | South Carolina price ¢/kWh | South Carolina price rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| the most reliable | Palmetto Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 68,338 | 32 | 1 of 20 | 0.69 | 631 | 12.79 | 6 of 20 |
| the least reliable | Edisto Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 15,421 | 293 | 20 of 20 | No data | 2,355 | 16.40 | 18 of 20 |
| the largest | Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc | Investor Owned | 696,385 | 81 | 4 of 20 | 1.19 | 1,908 | 14.59 | 10 of 20 |
| the most storm-driven | Laurens Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 58,438 | 97 | 11 of 20 | 1.14 | 8,310 | 14.66 | 11 of 20 |
| the most improved | Lynches River Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 21,363 | 165 | 16 of 20 | 1.90 | 518 | 15.71 | 17 of 20 |
| the one that slipped most | Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC) | Cooperative | 17,672 | 175 | 17 of 20 | 2.33 | 1,042 | 18.51 | 19 of 20 |
| the cheapest | Greenwood CPW | Municipal | 11,753 | 34 | 2 of 20 | 0.47 | 66 | 9.04 | 1 of 20 |
| the priciest | Blue Ridge Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 67,553 | 193 | 18 of 20 | No data | 5,291 | 18.94 | 20 of 20 |
Does a higher price buy fewer outages?
Each dot is one of 20 South Carolina utilities.
South Carolina, 2024: first 8 of 20 rows
| Home price, cents per kWh | SAIDI, minutes a year | |
|---|---|---|
| Palmetto Electric Coop Inc | 12.79 | 32 |
| Greenwood CPW | 9.04 | 34 |
| South Carolina Public Service Authority | 11.38 | 55 |
| Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc | 14.59 | 81 |
| Berkeley Electric Coop Inc | 14.93 | 89 |
| York Electric Coop Inc | 12.65 | 89 |
| City of Rock Hill | 12.55 | 90 |
| MPD Electric Cooperative | 10.94 | 90 |
20 rows from EIA-861 survey.
CSVSouth Carolina utilities, change in their own SAIDI
First to last year each utility reported, best change first.
| Rank | South Carolina utility | South Carolina years | South Carolina SAIDI first | South Carolina SAIDI last | South Carolina change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lynches River Elec Coop, Inc | 2015 to 2025 | 302 | 129 | -57% |
| 2 | City of Rock Hill | 2015 to 2025 | 120 | 69 | -42% |
| 3 | Berkeley Electric Coop Inc | 2015 to 2025 | 146 | 93 | -36% |
| 4 | York Electric Coop Inc | 2017 to 2025 | 94 | 60 | -36% |
| 5 | MPD Electric Cooperative | 2023 to 2025 | 127 | 103 | -19% |
| 6 | Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc | 2015 to 2024 | 97 | 81 | -17% |
| 7 | Palmetto Electric Coop Inc | 2015 to 2025 | 43 | 38 | -12% |
| 8 | Santee Electric Coop, Inc | 2015 to 2025 | 161 | 147 | -9% |
| 9 | Aiken Electric Coop Inc | 2016 to 2025 | 103 | 119 | +16% |
| 10 | Easley Combined Utility System | 2015 to 2025 | 68 | 91 | +33% |
| 11 | Horry Electric Coop Inc | 2015 to 2025 | 73 | 101 | +38% |
| 12 | Black River Electric Coop, Inc | 2022 to 2025 | 68 | 96 | +41% |
| 13 | Blue Ridge Electric Coop Inc | 2015 to 2025 | 113 | 160 | +42% |
| 14 | Mid-Carolina Electric Coop Inc | 2017 to 2024 | 70 | 117 | +67% |
| 15 | Laurens Electric Coop, Inc | 2015 to 2025 | 86 | 154 | +79% |
| 16 | City of Orangeburg | 2021 to 2025 | 80 | 183 | +127% |
| 17 | South Carolina Public Service Authority | 2015 to 2024 | 23 | 55 | +140% |
| 18 | Edisto Electric Coop, Inc | 2015 to 2025 | 69 | 235 | +240% |
| 19 | Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC) | 2015 to 2025 | 9 | 112 | +1176% |
Analyst note
Storm share stands out in South Carolina: a median 84% of SAIDI comes from major event days, rank 2 of 40. Of 20 South Carolina utilities with 1,000+ home accounts that report SAIDI, Palmetto Electric Coop Inc is lowest at 32 minutes a year and Edisto Electric Coop, Inc highest at 293, a 9.2 to 1 spread. The state median is 95 minutes, -4% against the U.S. median reporter. Over each utility's own record, Lynches River Elec Coop, Inc improved most (302 to 129 minutes, -57%, 2015 to 2025) and Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC) changed the other way (9 to 112, +1176%); 8 of 19 fell. Home price and outage minutes line up at r = +0.70 across 20 South Carolina utilities: the pricier ones report more minutes. That is South Carolina's pattern, not a cause.
Questions on South Carolina outages
How much do major storms add to South Carolina outage time?
A median 84% of SAIDI across the reporters, rank 2 of 40 states.
Which South Carolina utility has the fewest outage minutes?
Palmetto Electric Coop Inc: 32 minutes a year, SAIDI without major events, 2024.
Which South Carolina utility has the most?
Edisto Electric Coop, Inc: 293 minutes a year in 2024.
What is the typical SAIDI in South Carolina?
The median of 20 reporting utilities is 95 minutes, -4% on the U.S. median reporter.
Do cheaper South Carolina utilities have more outages?
Across 20 utilities r = +0.70, so the link is positive: higher price goes with more outage minutes.
How much of South Carolina outage time comes from storms?
At Laurens Electric Coop, Inc 99% of all-event SAIDI is major event days.
How reliable is the largest South Carolina utility?
Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc serves 696,385 home accounts and reports 81 minutes, rank 4 of 20; weighted by customers the state figure is 93.
Do South Carolina co-ops and investor-owned utilities differ?
4 owner types report in South Carolina: Cooperative 14 utilities with 719,514 home accounts, Municipal 4 utilities with 84,656 home accounts, State 1 utility with 185,529 home accounts, Investor Owned 1 utility with 696,385 home accounts.
What share of South Carolina home accounts do these utilities serve?
65% of 2,581,882 accounts, 20 of 26 utilities; 8 are above the U.S. median of 99 minutes.
More on South Carolina
- South Carolina state hubprices, map, utilities