Failed South Carolina nuclear project was years and millions of hours away from completion

Nine years into their effort to build two new nuclear reactors, SCANA and Santee Cooper officials were confronted this summer with a painful reality: billions of dollars from ratepayers had taken them only so far.

Newly-obtained emails, letters and other documents show:

• Finishing the project would require at least 23 million man hours of additional work.

• The project would cost $13 billion more than the initial budget called for in 2009.

• It would take four to six more years than what SCANA told state utility regulators last year.

These and other revelations are in documents The Post and Courier obtained from Santee Cooper through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Taken together, they reveal a behind-the-scenes story of frustration and uncertainty.

Read more: http://www.postandcourier.com/business/documents-failed-south-carolina-nuclear-project-was-years-and-millions/article_9386379a-93dd-11e7-acf6-fbd8edabca48.html