State regulators want massive financial sanctions imposed on SC Electric & Gas for hiding evidence.
The Office of Regulatory Staff has asked the Public Service Commission to penalize SCE&G for its “scheme” to conceal key documents about its failed $9 billion nuclear project.
A PSC ruling could cost SCE&G millions in costs it has charged or wants to charge 700,000 ratepayers.
A highly critical Bechtel Corp. audit reportedly has found imprudent supervision of the project which led to billons of dollars in cost overruns and delays.
ORS Director Nanette Edwards said, “All documents and information related to Bechtel should be disclosed and no longer hidden.
“It’s past time for SCE&G to come clean with all documents and communications about when it knew the project was over budget and off schedule. SCE&G wants to pick and choose just what it wants to share.
“It is completely unacceptable now when SCANA executives are wanting to be paid millions more for the failed project.”
Lexington County based SCANA Corp owns SCE&G.
Tom Clements of Friends of the Earth, which is suing SCE&G, said that for the utility’s “continuous foot-dragging in violation of PSC orders, ORS seeks not only its legal costs in pursuit of documents related to the infamous Bechtel report which documented project and management failures and elimination of project ‘costs incurred after at least October 22, 2015.’ 
“This could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars or more in costs to be eliminated even before the PSC reaches a decision by December 21.”
The PSC gave SCE&G until August 14 to respond.
A PSC hearing on costs, prudence of management and the proposed sale of SCANA to Dominion Energy is to start November 1.
SCE&G is calling almost all documents “confidential” to keep them away from the public, Clements said.
“SCE&G has engaged in a scheme to hide documents which reveal it knew long ago that the project was in the ditch and had little chance of being salvaged.”