(A) After issuance of a base load review order approving rate recovery for capital costs related to the plant, the utility will file reports with the Office of Regulatory Staff quarterly until the plant begins commercial operation. These reports must be filed no later than forty-five days after the close of a quarter, shall not be combined with any other filing, and shall contain the following information:

(1) the progress of construction of the plant;

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 58-33-277

  • Base load review order: means an order issued by the commission pursuant to § 58-33-270 establishing that if a plant is constructed in accordance with an approved construction schedule, approved capital costs estimates, and approved projections of in-service expenses, as defined herein, the plant is considered to be used and useful for utility purposes such that its capital costs are prudent utility costs and are properly included in rates. See South Carolina Code 58-33-220
  • plant: means a new coal or nuclear fueled electrical generating unit or units or facility that is designed to be operated at a capacity factor exceeding seventy percent annually, has a gross initial generation capacity of three hundred fifty megawatts or more, and is intended in whole or in part to serve retail customers of a utility in South Carolina, and for a coal plant, includes Best Available Control Technology, as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, for the control of air emissions. See South Carolina Code 58-33-220
  • regulatory staff: means the executive director or the executive director and the employees of the Office of Regulatory Staff. See South Carolina Code 58-33-20
  • Utility: means a person owning or operating equipment or facilities for generating, transmitting, or delivering electricity to South Carolina retail customers for compensation but it shall not include electric cooperatives, municipalities, the South Carolina Public Service Authority, or a person furnishing electricity only to himself, itself, its residents, employees, or tenants when the electricity is not resold or used by others. See South Carolina Code 58-33-220

(2) updated construction schedules;

(3) schedules of the capital costs incurred including updates to the information required by § 58-33-270(B)(5);

(4) updated schedules of the anticipated capital costs; and

(5) other information as the Office of Regulatory Staff may require.

(B) The Office of Regulatory Staff shall conduct on-going monitoring of the construction of the plant and expenditure of capital through review and audit of the quarterly reports under this article, and shall have the right to inspect the books and records regarding the plant and the physical progress of construction upon reasonable notice to the utility.