Edward Smith, edward.smith@sierraclub.org
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Today, Sierra Club released its sixth Dirty Truth Report. Dominion, Duke and Santee Cooper all earned the grade F, with Dominion and Santee earning 0% and Duke earning 13%. The report grades utilities across the country based on how much coal they are retiring, how much gas they are planning and how much renewable energy they are adding.
The aggregate score nationwide decreased eight points, falling to 7 out of 100 possible points and its lowest level in the report’s history. Utilities around the country are choosing to power data centers with expensive fossil fuels instead of affordable clean energy, including in South Carolina.
“The dirty truth is South Carolina’s largest electric utilities are more interested in serving the needs of their global shareholders and wealthy tech companies than providing clean and affordable electricity to the families and businesses that have called our state home for generations,” said Paul Black, Sierra Club’s Senior Campaign Organizer in South Carolina. “South Carolinians disagree on a number of issues, but we can all agree that utility rates are out of hand, and I’m here to say that we are the heroes we’ve been waiting for. We must come together and demand that the people who regulate these monopoly utilities represent our interests, and the only way that will happen is by showing up and speaking out.”
Dominion earned 0% (F) in 2026 after peaking at 44% (C) in 2023. Dominion continues to delay the retirement of its coal plants. Even though the utility’s own data indicates its energy generation will far exceed demand in the future, the utility plans to keep its Wateree coal plant operating until 2032 and Williams coal plant operating potentially as late as 2034. Meanwhile, Dominion’s most recent long-range energy plan places even higher costs on customers with not nearly enough investment in clean energy.
Duke Energy Carolinas & Progress earned 13% (F) in 2026, inching up from its score of 12% (F) in 2025. Duke Energy earned 12% (F) for its operations throughout the country, including Indiana and Florida. Duke’s CEO, Harry Sideris, celebrated Trump’s EPA last week when it proposed to repeal the Endangerment Finding.
Santee Cooper fell all the way down to 0% (F) in 2026. The utility earned 3% (F) in 2025 and peaked at 11% (F) in 2021. In its 2025 long-range energy plan, Santee Cooper slashed its solar from 2,600 megawatts (MW) down to a disappointing 800 MW. It has also committed to keep the Winyah coal-burning plant open and operating until at least 2033, and has no plan to shut down the Cross coal-burning power plant.
Renewable energy remains the cheapest way to generate electricity, while coal and fossil fuels remain expensive and extremely harmful to public health. Despite this, the Dirty Truth Report shows these utilities are doubling down on dangerous, expensive fossil fuels. This means higher bills for families, more dangerous pollution and less reliable energy.
The Associated Press evaluated the impact of the Trump EPA’s rules rollbacks for coal and gas plants, finding the targeted rules could “prevent an estimated 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion each year they are in effect.” The Sierra Club tracks how South Carolina coal plants have escaped pollution reduction measures under the Trump administration. Last week, the EPA moved to repeal the Endangerment Finding, the basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
The full report is available on the Dirty Truth website or here.
“The Dirty Truth report has once again revealed utilities’ overwhelming failure to plan a phase-out of their expensive and dirty fossil fuel infrastructure, and transition to clean energy,” said Sierra Club Chief Program Officer Holly Bender. “Every year that utilities drag their feet on the clean energy transition is another year where families pay record bills for expensive fossil fuels, another year of extreme weather events, and another year of air and water pollution threatening our health. We cannot afford to wait any longer to bring our grid into the 21st century. As artificial intelligence data centers drive demand for energy, utility companies are rushing to expensive and dangerous fossil fuels, leading to soaring electricity prices and worsening air pollution. The time is now for these companies to transition to affordable, reliable, clean energy to build a healthier and more sustainable energy future. The Sierra Club will continue to push utilities to deploy more renewable energy and work to lower costs and emissions.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.