Some South Carolina lawmakers are considering denying incentives to data centers, citing grid impacts and water consumption concerns. This is shortsighted: data centers are essential infrastructure for AI, economic growth, and competitiveness. With smart policies—requiring centers to fund their own power, using water-saving technologies, and following strict siting rules—S.C. can protect resources while capturing jobs, tax revenue, and leadership in the digital economy.

A proposed deal between Santee Cooper and Brookfield Asset Management would complete the two partially built nuclear reactors at VC Summer with private capital, delivering 2,200 megawatts of reliable, carbon-free baseload power with no new taxpayer cost. The agreement protects ratepayers, creates jobs, rebuilds the state’s nuclear workforce, and turns a long-stalled project into a strategic asset—positioning South Carolina as a national leader in America’s nuclear resurgence.

The Energy Freedom Act opens the grid to new technologies and participants. It eliminates the cap on credit to customers for excess power their rooftop solar panels produce and allows independent energy producers to sell power to the grid, passing savings to consumers. The goal is to align rates with market competition and reduce barriers to innovation.