Rates

As a not-for-profit cooperative, we strive to provide safe, affordable, and reliable power for our membership at the lowest possible cost. Our staff works assiduously to make decisions that keep our electric rates low while continuing to make business decisions that are smart and in best interest of the cooperative. Unfortunately, there are factors that directly impact our rates that are out of our control.

Like other South Carolina utilities, Black River Electric Cooperative is impacted by rising wholesale power costs affecting the energy industry. Because SC cooperatives like ours purchase electricity from suppliers such as Duke Energy, Santee Cooper and the Southeastern Power Association, our rates are driven in part by the price of wholesale power from those suppliers.

In particular, we are seeing significant cost increases arise due to the end of a court-agreed Santee Cooper rate that ended December 2024. Beginning 2025, Santee Cooper customers, including co-op members, will begin paying for the unbudgeted, extra costs that Santee Cooper incurred during its rate freeze period, when the utility wasn’t allowed to raise its rates to cover those costs. This will also come on top of Santee Cooper’s planned rate increase to meet the rising cost of fuel and materials.

As always, we avoid rate adjustments, when possible, but as communicated over the past few months, our co-op faces significant cost increases that are beyond our ability to control and absorb. Beginning February 1, 2025, a rate change of 9% will take effect across all rate classes. This increase will reflect a rate change of up to 1 cent per kWh.

Rest assured, we are working hard to minimize electric costs while delivering the best possible service to our members. We are collaborating with other co-ops and partners to manage costs efficiently. Additionally, we are working alongside electric co-ops to advocate for better energy policies in legislation.

Please know we are here to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us at (866) 791-2732. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate through these changes together.