06/26/2026
The Post and Courier published a story about the proposed Power Plant for Bethune. https://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/business/kershaw-county-bethune-sc-power-plant/article_a45538b8-397f-43aa-8fba-a8cad89c9a93.html
The article starts:
BETHUNE — Residents in Kershaw County are protesting a power plant planned near their homes. The company allegedly offered to cut them a deal in exchange for their support.
Residents outside the small town of Bethune received letters from Virginia-based power plant developer Beaufort Rosemary in June, offering incentives in exchange for the neighbors’ support for a power plant on property near their homes, copies of the letters obtained by The Post and Courier Columbia indicate.
Representatives for the company and county officials did not confirm the legitimacy of the letters on June 25, but several residents have opposed the project at County Council meetings.
“We urge you to place the protection of our water, our land and our community above the interest of this project,” resident Denise Rawlins said at a June 23 Kershaw County Council meeting. “Some decisions can be corrected. The loss of clean groundwater and environmental quality cannot.”
What do the letters say?
Beaufort Rosemary invited residents in Kershaw County to a June 10 meeting regarding a project the company was pitching for the area, according to a copy of the letter provided to The Post and Courier Columbia.
The letter did not provide much detail about the project, except that the company was proposing potential development of an industrial facility in the area, which is about an hour’s drive north of Columbia.
“We want to be clear that our intent is not only to share information, but to discuss how specific, measurable commitments can be made to neighboring homeowners as the project moves forward,” read the letter, printed on Beaufort Rosemary letterhead.
The company is based in Richmond and has built natural gas, geothermal, solar and wind power plants across the country, according to its website. The website lists a natural gas project in South Carolina, but doesn’t provide additional detail.
The letter said the company intended to draft a “good neighbor agreement,” which was sent to residents later in June.
In a copy of the agreement obtained by The Post and Courier Columbia, the company committed to:
Comply with all applicable laws while building the development
Monitor light, noise and pollution
Maintain a buffer zone between the project and nearby homes
The company also offered to:
Pay the homeowners who signed the agreement $10,000 within 30 days of construction starting
Donate $1,000 to a local nonprofit of the homeowner’s choice
Reimburse homeowners for up to $10,000 of their property taxes each year
In exchange, homeowners would be required to:
“(Acknowledge) that the Project is industrial in nature and may generate noise, light, traffic, and other impacts typical of industrial projects”
Sign a pre-written letter of support for the project, to be submitted to the county
Speak in support of the project at local meetings if asked by the company, with travel costs covered by the company
Keep the details of the deal confidential, except for with government officials
The company allegedly offered neighbors up to $10,000 a year to reimburse them for their property taxes if they agreed to support the project.
