Today's Quote
"Today's signing puts in place significant changes that will help make our two organizations partners in power supply planning and delivery."
-Central Electric Power Cooperative CEO Ron Calcaterra, on the long-term agreement signed with Santee Cooper May 20 to deliver power to 20 electric cooperatives. The contract secures billions in cost savings and governs how Central and Santee Cooper will work together.
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e-blast is a weekly electronic newsletter created to provide the latest work of your state association, news from our member cooperatives and progress on issues important to us all.
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Co-op deal with Santee Cooper saves billions
 | Santee Cooper's Winyah generating station
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A contract extension that will save billions of dollars and that affects 2 million South Carolinians was signed this week by both Central Electric Power Cooperative and Santee Cooper. The agreement secures long-term cost savings for co-op members as well as for wholesale and industrial customers and calls for a collaborative approach between the electric cooperatives and Santee Cooper. Central Electric Power Cooperative is the wholesale electricity aggregator for 20 S.C. electric co-ops. Central also has purchase agreements with Duke Energy, the Southeastern Power Administration and SCE&G . The 45-year term of this agreement provides stability that will lead to lower interest on debts, which in turn keeps power costs lower, said Santee Cooper President and CEO Lonnie Carter.
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Solar: S.C. on level playing field with China?
 When plans by AQT Solar to open a manufacturing plant in South Carolina fell through, company owners pointed to cheap solar panels from China as a culprit. This week, the U.S. indicated that it will negotiate a settlement with China in the world's largest antidumping and antisubisdy case. The goal is to push up prices and define regions in order to prevent the Chinese from dumping cheap panels into the U.S. market.
According to a report in The New York Times, 24 American and European solar panel manufacturers have either gone bankrupt or reduced production owing to a flood of Chinese imports. These producers say China has used its government subsidies and side-stepped U.S. tariffs to gain a pricing advantage. Settlement negotiations are projected to take months at best, and there is no guarantee that an agreement will be reached, in which case both the U.S. and the European Union would impose steep tariffs and taxes.
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Washington Youth Tour sets new record
 | | 2012 Little River Electric Cooperative representative Anna Harvley at last year's Youth Tour orientation meeting |
It just keeps growing. This year's Washington Youth Tour, which sends rising high school seniors to the nation's capital, will be the largest since the program started in 1964. Fifty students, representing all 20 South Carolina electric cooperatives, will be in Washington, D.C. June 15-20 to learn about government, electric co-ops and how the two work together.
While it will be the state's largest group yet, it will also be the largest group nationally--with 1,597 students from 44 states. To keep up with everything S.C. students will be doing during their week in D.C., follow them on Twitter @SCYouthTour.
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Horry manager wins national recognition
 | | Penelope Hinson |
Horry Electric Cooperative's manager of public relations, marketing and energy management has been honored as a 2013 Touchstone Energy Brand Champion. Penelope Hinson was one of ten nationally selected for the award, which honors co-op employees who demonstrate exceptional leadership, effectiveness and consistency while building the Touchstone Energy brand.
"Receiving the award was a complete surprise and such an incredible honor. I'm a firm believer in the brand and proud to have been part of it since its inception," said Hinson, who received the honor last week during a ceremony at the Connect Conference in Orlando. "The neatest thing about the Touchstone Energy brand is that co-ops were already living up to values conveyed in the messages," she added. "It's been exciting to see the brand grow and spread among cooperatives, our members and our communities."
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Annual meetings: Aiken, Fairfield, Tri-County
 | | Rep. Joe Wilson presents Aiken Electric board President Wayne Furtick (right) with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for the co-op's 75 years of service |
Marking its 75th annual meeting, Aiken Electric Cooperative members were joined by federal and state dignitaries to celebrate at their May 18 meeting. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) led the Pledge of Allegiance and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) presented Congressional recognition honoring the co-op's 75 years of service.
State Rep. Roland Smith (R-Dist. 84), chairman of Aiken County's legislative delegation and a co-op member since 1954, presented a plaque recognizing Aiken Electric as the first electric co-op in the state. The co-op registered 3,933
 | | Sen. Lindsey Graham leading the Pledge of Allegiance at Aiken Electric's annual meeting, before addressing members |
members in attendance. Incumbent O. Frank Dorn won a contested board race; unopposed directors James E. Stewart Jr. and Dana H. Moseley were also re-elected.
Tri-County Electric Cooperative held its annual meeting May 16, registering 2,292 members. Trustees H. Heath Hill, Jeffery Reeves and F. Douglas Shuler, Sr., all unopposed, were re-elected.
Fairfield Electric Cooperative registered 1,407 members May 21 at its annual meeting. All four unopposed trustees--Frank Wilkes, John A. Bloodworth Jr., Mitchell D. Rabon and Marion Nelson--were re-elected.
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