Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina

The 6th annual S.C. Lineman’s Rodeo is a wrap. Congrats to all the competitors who showed out in Manning today. These are the men and women who keep the lights on — and they can climb a pole faster than most of us can find the fuse box. Full results: ecsc.org/rodeo

Join us at the S.C. Lineman's Rodeo on Sat., March 21. The fun starts at 8 a.m. at the Clarendon County Industrial Park (2414-2163 Jo Rogers Jr. Blvd) in Manning, SC. More info. at ecsc.org/rodeo.

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives have adopted a new rate that makes permanent their existing practices that protect Palmetto State families and businesses from energy costs created by data centers and other major energy users. ecsc.org/news/central-a…

Check out the S.C. Lineman's Rodeo this weekend. It's happening Fri. & Sat. at the Clarendon County Industrial Park in Manning, and it's hosted by @SanteeElectric and @BlackRiverCoop. Get more info. here: ecsc.org/rodeo

We could see widespread damaging winds in S.C. today. If you see downed power lines, stay clear and call 911. Contact your local electric co-op if you lose power. You can find contact info. for all the state's co-ops here: ecsc.org/ecsc-members-m…

It's Co-op Day at the State House. Co-op leaders from all over S.C. are at the State House today to thank lawmakers for their support of rural South Carolina and to engage with them on issues that matter to our members. #sccooperatives

Anyone else ready for some snow fun? We've got our southern snow tubes ready for some hills.

Besides the snow, S.C. will be dealing with extreme cold over the next several days. That cold will mean your heating system has to work harder to keep your home comfortable, but there are simple things you can do to help out. Check out these tips.

It's looking like almost all of us in S.C. will see snow this weekend. Snow isn't as bad as ice, but some parts of the state could experience high winds along with the snow, and that could lead to power outages. The state's electric cooperatives are ready to respond.

THANK YOU to every South Carolina co-op who rallied to help us respond to Winter Storm Fern. These men left behind their loved ones at home, mostly hours away, to come help our community in a massive way this week. There were crews from @BerkeleyElectr3, @BlackRiverCoop, @BroadRiverCoop, Coastal, Edisto, @HorryElectric, Little River, @PalmettoCoop and Tri-County Electric Cooperatives. And we'd also like to shout out some of our other partners who stepped up, including Easley Combined Utilities, ElectriCom, Pike Electric and Sumter Utilities. We are grateful to be a cooperative. This benefit to our members keeps the spirit of community alive throughout our state and with co-ops across the country! Safe travels! @SCcooperatives @NRECANews

Our co-ops do what it takes to get the lights on.

That moment the lights come back on. Great work, @blueridgecoop! facebook.com/share/r/1Bnkpw…

Lineworkers from Berkeley Electric, Broad River Electric, Coastal Electric, Edisto Electric, Horry Electric, Little River Electric, Palmetto Electric and Tri-County Electric cooperatives are helping Blue Ridge Electric get the lights back on, That’s the co-op model in action.

Blue Ridge Electric currently has 700 lineworkers working on its system to bring the lights on for the remaining 10,000 members. Co-op from across South Carolina and the country have come to help.

This is what it means to keep working until the last light is on. @blueridgecoop suffered the brunt of Winter Storm Fern’s impacts in South Carolina. More than 25,000 members lost power. The co-op has hustled for two days in hazardous and miserable conditions to restore power.

The sun has set on a challenging day, so we want to provide a transparent look at where we stand. For most of the morning, Winter Storm Fern was manageable — but at 3 p.m., the storm sank its teeth in. Heavy ice and wind pushed our outage count from 3,000 to over 20,000 in just 90 minutes. Reinforcements from Indiana are here, and more are on the way. We are not in this alone. We are proud to welcome aid from Georgia, and our sister co-ops in Berkeley and Horry Electric tonight. These crews will hit the ground running alongside our Blue Ridge teams tomorrow morning and will remain with us throughout this multi-day restoration effort. Today also brought a sobering reminder of the dangers our teams face. This afternoon, a tree fell directly onto a Blue Ridge truck on Highway 8 while two of our linemen were headed to a call. We are incredibly relieved to report that both men are unharmed. These are dangerous and unforgiving conditions, and we truly believe those two were covered in prayer today. Looking Ahead to Monday - The System: We maintain over 7,400 miles of line. With the ground saturated and winds lingering, more trees may fall overnight. - Reporting: If your power is out, please use the Blue Ridge App or text OUT to 800-240-3400. - Office Notice: Our offices will be closed on Monday so that our entire team can remain 100% focused on restoration and member support. - Medical Emergencies: If you or a loved one is in a life-threatening situation, please call 911. - Downed Line Safety: Assume every downed power line is live and dangerous. Stay at least 30 feet away and call us immediately at 800-240-3400 to report it. We won’t stop until the last light is back on. Your patience, your kind words, and your prayers mean the world to our employees and their families tonight. Stay safe, Blue Ridge! 💙⚡

Power outages from Winter Storm Fern are on the increase. The most outages at this time are in Oconee County. To check real-time outage info., visit ecsc.org/outages

We do expect power outages caused by this winter storm. Stay up to date on the situation with our statewide outage map here: ecsc.org/outages

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are on hand at Gov. @henrymcmaster’s press conference at the S.C. Emergency Management Division to provide an update on Winter Storm Fern. Experts say the storm could be the worst ice storm to hit the Upstate in two decades.

Across the state, co-ops are closely monitoring the coming winter storm and preparing to respond to possible outages. @WBTWNews13 explained what @HorryElectric in Conway is doing to be ready. wbtw.com/news/grand-str…