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Opponents of legislation paving the way for a new power plant in South Carolina argue it’s eerily similar to a law rushed through the Legislature 17 years ago that ultimately left utility customers on the hook for billions of dollars they continue to pay for an abandoned nuclear power project.

The South Carolina House is considering legislation (H. 5118) that skews disproportionately toward utilities’ interests and would greatly diminish consumers’ representation in the deliberations of the Public Service Commission.

If approved, this bill would give Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper the green light to launch the gas plant together. But some lawmakers and environmental groups worry the process is being rushed without necessary review.

As legislators consider construction of a large natural gas plant to meet South Carolina’s growing energy demand, a consulting company is cautioning against the venture, saying the state-owned Santee Cooper power company has not looked at the matter thoroughly enough.

Several environmental groups and a key Santee Cooper business customer are urging regulators to reject the utility’s $23.4 billion plan to meet future electricity demand that includes building a natural gas-fired plant that they say will cost more than estimated.

Some of Dominion Energy’s South Carolina ratepayers are urging regulators to reject the company’s proposal to meet electricity demand because the three-year plan relies too heavily on fossil fuels and needs to incorporate more renewable power sources.

Utilities like Duke Energy are asking ratepayers to foot the bill for billions in new emission-reduction projects while they reap guaranteed profits.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A former executive utility who gave rosy projections on the progress of two nuclear power plants in South Carolina while they were hopelessly behind will spend 15 months in prison for the doomed project that cost ratepayers billions of dollars.

We’re already projecting eight times the load growth we anticipated just two years ago, said Mike Callahan, Duke Energy’s South Carolina president.