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Good connection, better disconnection AROUND HERE, WE LOVE CONNECTIONS.
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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JANUARY 2022 | SCLIVING.COOP
M AT TH E W LO N G , DO M I N I O N E N E RGY
In addition to connecting our members to safe and reliable services, South Carolina’s electric cooperatives connect with community organizations like chambers of commerce, economic development commissions, charities and school districts to better serve our communities. On occasion, we even partner with other utilities to improve your quality of life. Sometimes those good connections lead to even better disconnections. That was the case with the consumer exchange that occurred between Dominion Energy and Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative last October. Following discussions between the two utilities, approximately 55 Dominion Energy customers in the Leesville community of Riverbend Point at the western end of Lake Murray became members of Mid-Carolina Electric, putting them Crews from Dominion Energy South Carolina cut one of the utility’s power lines across the Saluda River as part of a territory swap with Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative. close to one of the cooperative’s substations and improving the reliability of their service. Dominion Energy then cut down spans of wire—one as long above so that almost all vessels can pass under them. as 1,700 feet—hanging 40 feet above the Saluda River, improvIt’s not that lineworkers from cooperatives, Dominion Energy or any other utility are unable to do the work necessary to maining the public’s safety along the popular waterway. This exchange of territory is rare but not unprecedented tain or restore the power delivered over water crossings. Our in the utility sector. And although efficiency of service was crews have the experience and skills to get the job done while an important factor, the safety of the public and of lineworkadhering to our industry’s strict safety standards. Rather, in true cooperative spirit, the two utilities worked ers was the primary reason Mid-Carolina Electric agreed to together to make it safer for their communities and employthe exchange. Delivering power safely in rural areas is hard enough. Water as an additional obstacle makes maintaining the ees. They solved a relatively small problem before it became power grid even more hazardous. a bigger one. Their partnership resulted in more efficient and It doesn’t happen often, but when boats come in contact reliable electricity for both Mid-Carolina Electric members and with power lines that hang above waterways, the results can be Dominion Energy customers. tragic. One such accident claimed the life of Palmetto Electric As we begin 2022, utilities face tremendous challenges Cooperative’s general manager nearly 40 years ago when his sail- and opportunities just over the horizon. The growing electric vehicle market promises to increase the demand for power. boat mast struck a power line near Daufuskie Island. Cooperatives across the state are racing to bring broadband Water crossings are often the only way of delivering power to homes and businesses on islands, around lakes and across rivers, internet service to rural communities. The way electricity is generated, consumed and stored is changing rapidly. but they increase the risk to lineworkers. Because water crossIt’s nice to know that in South Carolina, we can count on ings require taller poles and heavier lines, outage restoration collaboration among utilities to meet these challenges. and maintenance can be difficult. Although not the case with Dominion Energy’s recently eliminated span, a pole in the middle of the water is sometimes required to get power to an island or peninsula. The climbs up those poles from the comparatively less stable platform of a boat can be perilous. It’s not that lines built over water are unsafe. They meet the codes required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which regMIKE COUICK President and CEO, ulates infrastructure along navigable waters. They hang high The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina
