- Population: 4.3 million (U.S. rank: 24)
- GDP: $149.2 billion (U.S. rank: 27)
- Capital: Columbia
Energy Consumption
- South Carolina’s total energy consumption in the state equals 398 mil Btu per capita (U.S. rank: 15).
- The state’s largest energy-consuming sector is industry (38%) while the rest of the state’s consumption is distributed among the transportation (25%), residential (21%) and commercial (15%) sectors.
- South Carolina’s rate of electricity consumption per capita is higher than the nationwide average due to high industrial use and high air-conditioning demand during the hot summer.
- Nearly three-fifths of South Carolina households use electricity (58%) as their primary energy source for home heating.
- South Carolina is one of the few states that allow the use of conventional motor gasoline. Petroleum
- South Carolina receives petroleum product shipments from the Port of Charleston and via the Colonial and Plantation pipelines from the Gulf Coast.
Natural Gas
- South Carolina’s natural gas supply is transported from the Gulf Coast by two major interstate pipeline systems.
- Although more than one-fourth of households in South Carolina use natural gas as their main energy source for home heating, winters are generally mild and overall demand is relatively low.
Coal
- Coal fuels about two-fifths of the state’s electricity generation.
- South Carolina has no coal mines, and coal-fired power plants rely on supplies shipped from Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee.
Nuclear
- Nuclear power accounts for more than one-half of South Carolina’s electricity generation.
- The state ranks among the top nuclear power producers in the U.S. with four active nuclear power plants.
- If licensing and construction go as planned, four new nuclear reactors could come online in South Carolina by 2015.
Renewable Energy
- South Carolina produces hydroelectric power from facilities located in several river and lake basins.