Dominion Energy Gas Plant
Help to stop the Edisto gas plant & pipeline with these calls to action:
Sign our petition and then share it with a friend
Request a Charleston-based Public Hearing:The South Carolina Public Service Commission is the elected body that will decide whether or not to greenlight the project. They are holding a public hearing about the project in Walterboro on March 23. We’ll be releasing a sign-up sheet for the Walterboro hearing soon, but for now we want to prioritize requesting a Charleston-based public hearing to increase accessibility. Click here to contact the Public Service Commissioners and request a Charleston-based public hearing
Volunteer: We have opportunities to canvass, table, and more! Click here for a full list of volunteer opportunities, and to sign up
We want to prevent this gas plant and pipeline from ever being built.
Dominion Energy has proposed expanding fossil fuel usage by building a new 2,000 megawatt methane gas plant in Canadys, SC. The plant, which would be one of the largest in the country, would be located on a site adjacent to the Edisto River.
This would be a reckless and misguided project because:
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. To avoid worsening effects of climate change on our livelihoods, we need to keep as many fossil fuels as possible in the ground. Methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
It would raise our electric bills. This plant would be expensive, costing over $2 billion, and would be paid for by us, the ratepayers.
It’s unnecessary. South Carolina’s regulatory structure incentivizes utilities to build (and be reimbursed for) big, expensive infrastructure, whether we need it or not.
It’s dangerous. This plant will require a new pipeline to be built across South Carolina to connect to existing ones in Georgia. Communities across this path will be subject to leaks, and even explosions (yes, those do happen - methane is highly flammable). Pipelines can leak benzene, which can cause anemia and immune system diseases, as well as methane, and the compressor stations that push gas through pipelines can leak cancer-causing pollutants.
Our state is growing in population, and we should indeed plan for an increase in electricity demand. However, we should meet those needs with electricity sources that do not warm the climate, pollute our air, or raise our electric bills, and whose size and cost align with our needs. Fossil fuels are the energy sources of the past; we now have better options available.
We instead call on Dominion Energy to expand their use of solar, wind, and battery storage technology. These can be installed much faster than a large methane gas plant (2 - 3 years versus 7 - 10), and would support the growing regional clean energy economy, which now supports over a million jobs in the Southeast.