Public Service Commission of South Carolina Orders Hearing on the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff’s Request to Reduce Rates

CAYCE, S.C., Dec. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (SCPSC), as part of its regularly scheduled business meeting, denied South Carolina Electric & Gas Company's (SCE&G), principal subsidiary of SCANA Corporation (SCANA) (NYSE:SCG), Motion to Dismiss and ordered that a hearing be set on the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff's (ORS) request for rate relief which seeks to implement an immediate rate reduction of SCE&G's electric retail revenues by approximately $445 million annually.

In addition, the SCPSC ordered the ORS to perform a thorough inspection and audit, within 30 days, to determine the reasonableness of SCE&G's retail electric rates and to address SCE&G's statements regarding the potential effect that the removal of these revenues, as requested by the ORS, could have on SCE&G. The SCPSC also consolidated the Friends of the Earth and Sierra Club docket with the ORS's request. 

"We welcome the ORS's examination of our books and records to evaluate our revenue requirements.  We are also encouraged by the Commission's decision to move forward with a hearing that will allow for the full development and review of the relevant facts and issues before making such a critical decision on this matter, which will ultimately have great ramifications on not just SCANA and SCE&G, but also on SCE&G's customers," said Jimmy Addison, who is currently SCANA's Chief Financial Officer and will become its Chief Executive Officer Jan. 1, 2018.  "We continue to believe working toward a collaborative and reasonable resolution is in the best interest of all stakeholders."

PROFILE

SCANA Corporation, headquartered in Cayce, SC, is an energy-based holding company principally engaged, through subsidiaries, in electric and natural gas utility operations and other energy-related businesses. Information about SCANA and its businesses is available on the company's website at www.scana.com.

SCE&G is a regulated public utility engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity to approximately 717,000 customers in South Carolina.  The company also provides natural gas service to approximately 362,000 customers throughout the state.  More information about SCE&G is available at www.sceg.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Statements included in this press release which are not statements of historical fact are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements" for purposes of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.  Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning key earnings drivers, customer growth, environmental regulations and expenditures, leverage ratio, projections for pension fund contributions, financing activities, access to sources of capital, impacts of the adoption of new accounting rules and estimated capital and other expenditures.  In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "should," "expects," "forecasts," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar terminology.  Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and that actual results could differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements.  Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) uncertainties relating to the bankruptcy filing by WEC and WECTEC, including the effect of the anticipated rejection of the EPC Contract and the determination to cease construction of the New Units; (2) the ability of SCANA and its subsidiaries (the Company) to recover through rates the costs expended on the New Units, and a reasonable return on those costs, under the abandonment provisions of the BLRA or through a general rate case or other regulatory means; (3) changes in tax laws and realization of tax benefits and credits, and the ability or inability to realize credits and deductions, particularly in light of the abandonment of construction of the New Units; (4) the information is of a preliminary nature and may be subject to further and/or continuing review and adjustment; (5) legislative and regulatory actions, particularly changes related to electric and gas services, rate regulation, regulations governing electric grid reliability and pipeline integrity, environmental regulations including any imposition of fees or taxes on carbon emitting generating facilities, the BLRA, and any actions affecting the abandonment of the New Units; (6) current and future litigation, including particularly litigation or government investigations involving the construction or abandonment of the New Units; (7) the results of short- and long-term financing efforts, including prospects for obtaining access to capital markets and other sources of liquidity, and the effect of rating agency actions on the Company's cost of and access to capital and sources of liquidity; (8) the ability of suppliers, both domestic and international, to timely provide the labor, secure processes, components, parts, tools, equipment and other supplies needed which may be highly specialized or in short supply, at agreed upon quality and prices, for our construction program, operations and maintenance; (9) the results of efforts to ensure the physical and cyber security of key assets and processes; (10) changes in the economy, especially in areas served by subsidiaries of SCANA; (11) the impact of competition from other energy suppliers, including competition from alternate fuels in industrial markets; (12) the impact of conservation and demand side management efforts and/or technological advances on customer usage; (13) the loss of electricity sales to distributed generation, such as solar photovoltaic systems or energy storage systems; (14) growth opportunities for SCANA's regulated and other subsidiaries; (15) the effects of weather, especially in areas where the generation and transmission facilities of SCANA and its subsidiaries are located and in areas served by SCANA's subsidiaries; (16) changes in SCANA's or its subsidiaries' accounting rules and accounting policies; (17) payment and performance by counterparties and customers as contracted and when due; (18) the results of efforts to license, site, construct and finance facilities, and to receive related rate recovery, for electric generation and transmission; (19) the results of efforts to operate the Company's electric and gas systems and assets in accordance with acceptable performance standards, including the impact of additional distributed generation; (20) the availability of fuels such as coal, natural gas and enriched uranium used to produce electricity; the availability of purchased power and natural gas for distribution; the level and volatility of future market prices for such fuels and purchased power; and the ability to recover the costs for such fuels and purchased power; (21) the availability of skilled, licensed and experienced human resources to properly manage, operate, and grow the Company's businesses; (22) labor disputes; (23) performance of SCANA's pension plan assets and the effect(s) of associated discount rates; (24) inflation or deflation; (25) changes in interest rates; (26) compliance with regulations; (27) natural disasters, man-made mishaps and acts of terrorism that directly affect our operations or the regulations governing them; and (28) the other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in the reports filed by SCANA or SCE&G with the SEC.

SCANA and SCE&G disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings as set forth in the Company's most recent periodic report filed with the SEC.

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SOURCE SCANA Corporation