Dominion Energy agreed on Monday to halt its effort to increase the monthly power bills for 753,000 customers in South Carolina for at least six months after the utility came under fire for asking to hike its electricity rates during the coronavirus pandemic.
“In recent months, several members of the S.C. Legislature spoke out against the rate case during public hearings while Gov. Henry McMaster issued a statement calling the proposed rate hike an untenable burden on many South Carolinians.”
Dominion's decision to "pause" its request will temporarily delay the company's goal of collecting an extra $178 million per year from ratepayers, who are scattered around Columbia, Charleston, Orangeburg and Beaufort.
The utility did not make that choice lightly. It was pressured into that position by the S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff, the state's utility watchdog agency.
Read the full story at EnergyCentral.com.