South Carolina is one of a handful of states leading the country’s clean energy revolution. The Palmetto State has a history of being an early participant in world-changing revolutions, as evident by its status as the eighth state admitted to the Union in 1788. Nearly two and a half centuries later, the state has replaced boycotts on tea and battles against the British with billion-dollar clean economy investments and battery plants.
According to the Clean Economy Tracker (CET), a tool developed by Atlas Public Policy and Utah State University to track private-led clean energy investments and jobs, South Carolina received approximately $3.7888 billion in announced investments related to clean energy and technology manufacturing from the start of 2024 through the end of October.
Batteries held the largest share of the manufacturing sector’s funding with an announced $2.265 billion.
Minerals and electric vehicles (EVs) followed behind with 1 billion and half a billion dollars in investments, and — not to be forgotten — transmission and grid accounted for the remaining 23.8 million.
Once completed, these clean energy investment announcements, spread out across 12 facilities, are expected to create 3,200 new jobs in South Carolina. Additionally, an ICF forecast report commissioned by the American Clean Power Association found that energy tax credits and rebates from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could lead to $64 billion in spending within the state.
Photo Courtesy jotoler
Both the present and future of South Carolina’s clean economy look bright, and it’s not just because of the monetary investments or job creation. Many also provide educational opportunities, workforce training, and, in the case of Birla Carbon, even childcare subsidies for new parents. On Oct. 8, 2024, major carbon solutions manufacturer and supplier Birla Carbon announced a $1 billion investment to make Orangeburg County, South Carolina, the location of its first operation in the Palmetto State.
Operations at the 435,000-square-foot next-generation synthetic graphite continuous production facility are expected to begin in 2026.
According to the company, the new site will supply enough anode active materials to support more than 40 gigawatt-hour battery plants once operational.
The initial phase will also meet the projected demand for EVs, energy storage, and defense markets by producing 25,000 tons of synthetic graphite annually. The investment will also create 124 new jobs, supplemented by education and internship opportunities provided by Birla Carbon.
Photo Courtesy Birla Carbon
Not to be outdone, energy management and automation firm Schneider Electric announced a combined total of $23.8 million in investments earlier in 2024 to expand operations and create 280 new jobs at two facilities in the state.
The split means the clean energy company added 150 new jobs to its engineer-to-order facility in Richland County and 130 new jobs and HVAC electrification at its engineer-to-order facility in Oconee County.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster spoke positively about the investment while also celebrating the state’s skilled workforce and pro-business environment.
“As a result of our state’s skilled workforce and business-friendly environment, global leaders like Schneider Electric are finding success,” he said in an official statement. “We congratulate Schneider Electric on these expansions and look forward to the 280 new opportunities they will create in the Oconee and Richland communities.”
Photo Courtesy Pixabay
When most South Carolinians were probably buying candy, getting ready to give away candy, or dressing up those about to receive free candy, the South Carolina State Ports Authority was on the receiving end of something far less sugary: a $1,325,000 Climate and Air Quality Planning Grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Ports Program. The grant, roughly the equivalent of 152,760,922 individual M&M’s (based on the $16.48 62 Oz M&M’s Jars from Sam’s Club coming in at approximately 1900 M&M’s per container), is expected to help the Port of Charleston update its emissions inventory, analyze emissions reduction strategies, and establish a community port advisory committee.
The investment fits into a larger nationwide agenda set on positioning American ports at the forefront of the clean energy transition and a zero-emission freight future.
“The goal is to build a foundation for the port sector to transition over time to fully zero-emissions operations,” Jeaneanne Gettle, the acting regional administrator of the EPA, said in a press release. “EPA is positioning ports to serve as a catalyst for transformational change across the freight sector.” On the topic of being a catalyst for transformational change — South Carolina certainly fits that bill in relation to the clean economy.
