KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — After reports of shots fired near the Wateree Hydro Station Wednesday night, security has been at the top of everyone's mind. This follows a recent attack on a North Carolina substation that left thousands without power for days.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there are 33 hydro-electric plants across the state of South Carolina that generate energy. Security is always a priority at these energy stations.
The Wateree Hydro Station generates 56 megawatts, which, according to experts, provides for about 50,000 homes, according to the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff.
If security is breached, or any damage is done to a facility like this, it could impact hundreds of thousands of people.
Duke Energy and the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office say their security teams are actively engaged in security patrols, and they have stepped up security measures at critical assets of the station.
"We're spending $75 billion over the next decade on grid improvements – which will include investments in making the electric grid more secure from cyber and physical threats," Duke Energy said in a statement.
Office of Regulatory Staff Executive Director Nanette Edwards tells News 19 the level of security depends on the location and size of the hydro station.
"Not a very densely populated area, you could be talking something as simple as fencing around the sub station, maybe cameras, but you're not going to have a security guard," Edwards said.
Edwards explains there also isn't a specific threshold to activate the state's emergency management department in cases of threat.
"An outage, let's say it's 50,000 or more, there are reporting requirements that go up to certain federal entities and certainly, if it's criminal, you're going to have the FBI, our state law enforcement, SLED, depending on what's going on," Edwards said. "You can have law enforcement involved in something that we saw in North Carolina and, in fact, I'm sure you're going to see law enforcement looking into this situation in South Carolina pretty closely."
According to the Office of Regulatory Staff, any damage done to stations are up to the provider, in this case, Duke Energy, to fix.
Communicating needs and expectations is most important when it comes to these energy companies working with local, state and federal agencies.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said he and his staff have been in contact with law enforcement about this situation at the Wateree Hydro Station.
Duke Energy tells News 19 they will carefully analyze these events and will apply any findings to enhance their grid security.
South Carolina energy leaders say South Carolina focuses more on nuclear, natural gas and coal energy generation, with hydro a relatively small part of the overall state portfolio.