Supporting South Carolina’s Economy
Through Cooperative Partnerships
The Jeffries Hydroelectric Station is located near Moncks Corner on Lake
Moultrie. Five generators at the facility use the downhill flow of water as it
passes into the Tailrace Canal to produce approximately 200 million kilowatt-hours annually.
On April 7, 1934, Governor Ibra C. Blackwood signed into law
an act that created the South Carolina Public Service Authority,
more commonly known as Santee Cooper. It was the culmination of
more than 150 years worth of efforts to tap the Santee and Cooper
Rivers for economic development. Never in their wildest dreams
could the members of the 1770 committee of the colonial Commons House of Assembly, who first proposed developing the two
rivers, have predicted their inland navigation project would evolve
into South Carolina’s largest power producer and one of the largest
public power utilities in the United States.
Provisions in the enabling legislature proclaim that Santee Coop-
er was created by South Carolina “for the benefit of all the people of
the state, for the improvement of their health and welfare and mate-
rial prosperity.”
Seventy-five years later, these words are at the very heart of
Santee Cooper’s mission to be the state’s leading resource for
improving the quality of life for the people of South Carolina. To
help fulfill this mission, Santee Cooper is committed to being the
lowest-cost producer and distributor of reliable energy and water,
as well as being a leader in economic development.
As soon as Santee Cooper produced its first electricity in 1942, it became a
catalyst for economic development throughout all of
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South Carolina, thanks largely to its partnership with the electric
cooperatives. Throughout their shared history, Santee Cooper and
the cooperatives have worked in tandem to bring businesses large
and small to the state, including industries like International Paper,
Alcoa Inc., Nucor Steel, AVX, Georgia-Pacific, Builders FirstSource, BP
Amoco, American Gypsum, Starbucks, and Google.
In September 1988, representatives of Santee Cooper and the
electric cooperatives jointly created the Palmetto Economic Development Corporation, known today as the South Carolina Power Team. In
the 20 years since, the Power Team has been part of 580 industrial
relocation or expansion projects, resulting in $8.1 billion in capital
investments, 43,500 new jobs, and $1.3 billion in annual payrolls.
When the Power Team was created, there was an implicit mandate to support the efforts of South Carolina’s local and regional
economic developers, as well as the state’s Department of Commerce. Among the Power Team’s efforts in this arena is its Economic
Development Review, where electric cooperative and economic
development communities meet annually to create the relationships
that power more effective economic development efforts. The
Power Team has also funded statewide work force studies that
address labor availability issues and give local developers an additional recruitment tool.
In 2006, the Power Team introduced three new initiatives to further support economic development. It awards scholarships for economic development professionals to take accredited courses to
improve their skill sets, and also assists in the development of
strategic marketing plans for county and regional economic development corporations. Furthermore, the Power Team works to certify
industrial sites in all 46 counties. Through 2008, the Power Team
has awarded 36 scholarships, completed or begun 23 strategic
plans, and certified 11 sites.
Santee Cooper
George Haygood, CEcD
Program Director, Economic Development
One Riverwood Drive
Moncks Corner, SC 29461
Phone: (843) 761-7010
Fax: (843) 761-4164
ghhaygoo@santeecooper.com
www.scprimesite.com
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