Boston (Platts)--21Dec2012/616 pm EST/2316 GMT
South Carolina Electric & Gas Friday said it will issue a request for proposals at a yet-to-be-determined date for power it will need to fill an expected supply gap in 2015 and 2016 before two planned nuclear units come online. The utility told the South Carolina Public Service Commission this week that it expects to need at least 25 MW of capacity in 2015 and at least 150 MW in 2016. The needs in 2015-16 could be considerably greater, SCE&G said, depending on the fate of four older, "unscrubbed" SCE&G coal units totaling 545 MW that without environmental controls will not be in compliance with the US Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury and Air Toxics Rules that take effect April 15, 2015. SCE&G is exploring whether to switch one or more of the units to natural gas firing, retrofit them with environmental controls, retire them, or ask EPA for a one- or two-year waiver from MATS compliance. --Housley Carr, newsdesk@platts.com --Edited by Jeff Barber, jeff_barber@platts.com