Dominion Energy has proposed an 11.47% increase in electricity rates for all South Carolina customers starting in July, according to a filing with state regulators.
If approved, residential customers, who make up over 820,000 of Dominion’s users in the state, would see rates rise by 12.67%, or about $20 more per month. Commercial rates would increase by 5.91%, and industrial rates by 14.86%, according to John Raftery, Dominion’s general manager of regulatory affairs.
The proposed $322 million increase is intended to cover infrastructure upgrades, regulatory compliance, and damage repairs from Hurricane Helene, said company president Keller Kissam. The utility cited population growth and industrial demand as factors driving the need for additional generation and transmission capacity.
Kissam said the utility has invested in three new natural gas peaker plants and upgraded transmission systems as part of $1.4 billion in new investments. Dominion is also facing increased property taxes and inflation.
“It’s like milk, eggs and bread, certainly, meat, things of that extent, have increased in cost,” Kissam said. “We face those same increases in cost with the components that we have to invest in.”
The proposed rate hike does not include costs related to a planned $5 billion natural gas plant in Colleton County, which Dominion would co-fund with state-run utility Santee Cooper. Dominion says continued customer and industrial growth will likely necessitate further expansion.
In May 2024, the average monthly bill for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours was $132. By July 2025, it had increased to $157. If the new rates are approved, bills would increase again by approximately $20 in July.
The request was electronically submitted Jan. 2. Dominion has asked to hold four public hearings in Columbia, Aiken, Bluffton, and North Charleston in March. Residents may also submit written comments to the South Carolina Public Service Commission.
An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for May. If approved, the new rates would take effect in July.
Dominion serves more than 820,000 customers in South Carolina’s Midlands and Lowcountry, including Columbia, Aiken, and Charleston.
