SCE&G ratepayers to begin seeing settlement money

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As part of a class-action settlement finalized in June, some former S.C. Electric and Gas ratepayers will begin receiving payments as early as this week.

The payments will distribute portions of up to $146 million among hundreds of thousands of current and former SCE&G customers. Circuit Court Judge John Hayes approved the settlement last month.

Ratepayers can also elect to receive a bill credit, according to www.scegratepayersettlement.com.

The first round of payments, totaling around $60 million, stem from the settlement of a $2.2 billion lawsuit reached last November.  The suit sought to recover money paid by SCE&G customers toward the construction of twin nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville. SCE&G and project co-owner Santee Cooper abandoned construction on the reactors in July 2017.

According to the settlement website, set up by SCANA Corp., SCE&G’s former parent company, “defendants deny the allegations in the lawsuit, but have agreed to settle.” Dominion Energy’s acquisition of SCANA was finalized in January. 

The June settlement ordered Dominion to establish a claims administrator to distribute the lawsuit funds. For more information, call the claims administrator at 1-877-432-3808 or email info@scegrateparysettlement.com.

In an email, Dominion said it is working with the claims administrator “to determine the process and timing for allocation of the settlement to customers who opted to receive their portion of the settlement through a bill credit. Once we receive the necessary information from the claims administrator, we will start to apply those credits to the following billing cycle.”

Dominion also said it is working to liquidate real estate, including a 3,000-acre Georgetown plantation used for SCANA executive retreats and hundreds of acres of undeveloped near SCANA’s Cayce headquarters, that was ordered sold in the settlement.

“Customers who participated in the class action settlement will receive additional cash or bill credits after the real estate sells,” the company said.

Also in June, Hayes reduced attorneys’ fees in the suit.