Lexington County Chronicle
November 9, 2018
By Jerry Bellune
SCANA’s sale could be costly to local people.
Up to 600 SCANA employees could lose their jobs if Dominion Energy buys Lexington County-based SCANA.
This is in addition to the 5,000 workers who lost their jobs when SCANA abandoned its $9 billion nuclear project.
This number came from Lane Kollen, a witness for the SC Office of Regulatory Staff during a Public Service Commission hearing this week.
Kollen’s estimate of about 1/3rd of SCANA Services’ 1,700 employees – or 560 to 600 – would be let go, based on what Dominion has done in other buy outs.
Dawn Hipp of ORS said these jobs would be in administration, human resources, purchasing and similar functions.
Dominion had indicated earlier that it would let go a “few” executives who would be redundant in merging the 2 power companies
Public Service Commissioner Elliott Elam of Lexington had asked Kollen how Dominion would reduce costs to help SC Electric & Gas ratepayers.
Kollen responded that much of its operating cost savings would come at the expense of jobs at SCANA, which own SCE&G.
Kollen also said he does not think SCE&G needs to file for bankruptcy as its executives have threatened to do.
He said the commissioners could approve an ORS proposal to cut rates 20.93% without endangering SCE&G financially.
Kollen did not agree it is best for everyone if Dominion buys SCANA.
SCANA’s cost of borrowing money would not rise significantly should the ORS proposal be approved, he said.