N” is for Nuclear power

“N” is for Nuclear power. The first time nuclear power was used to generate electricity in South Carolina was a small 17 megawatt experimental prototype by South Carolina Electric and Gas (and partners) at Parr from 1963 to 1967. In 1967 the General Assembly passed the Atomic Energy and Radiation Control Act. This led to the creation of nuclear-powered electrical generation plants and the creation of the Barnwell Low Level Radiation Disposal site. Seven nuclear reactors, with a combined capacity of 6,525 megawatts were in operation in the state by 1986. At the turn of this century more than half (52.2 percent) of the electricity generated in South Carolina was created by nuclear fission, as compared to about 20 percent for the United States as a whole. In 2025 nuclear power generated 55 percent of the electricity produced in South Carolina.