Public Utilities
Public Utilities Director Mark Hall
System Facts
Power Supply
Water System
Sewer System
Contact Information
Rates, Reports & Applications
"Your Hometown Electric Company"
A Public Power Community
Since 1905, Abbeville Public Utilities has taken pride in providing a reliable source of electricity to the residents of Abbeville. Some important information about our system is provided below.
System Facts
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The City of Abbeville electric system serves customers within the city limits of Abbeville, in limited areas around the City, some rural areas around Lake Secession and Lake Russell, and the Town of Lowndesville.
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One delivery point serves 7 substations, approximately 78 miles of distribution lines, and 20 miles of transmission lines.
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System voltage is 2,400/4, 160 volts with some 7,200 volt single phase lines.
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We provide electricity to approximately 3,600 residential and commercial customers.
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Power sales in fiscal year 2007 were approximately 61 million kWh.
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System revenues in fiscal year 2007 were approximately $6 million.
Power Supply
HydroGenration Station
Abbeville is one of very few small cities to own it's own generation facilities. The City owns and operates a hydro generation plant located at Lake Secession. The hydro plant, in operation since 1941, at one time provided most of the power used by the City electric system. However, as electrical loads increased through the years, more power had to be purchased from other sources. Today, the hydro plant is used primarily as a peaking facility to reduce our purchased power costs during periods of high demand.
Piedmont Municipal Power Agency (PMPA)
Abbeville is one of 10 cities that make up PMPA. PMPA owns a 25% share of Cataba Nuclear Unit #2. In fiscal year 2007, purchases from PMPA constituted approximately 88% of our power cost.
Southeastern Power Administration (SEPA)
We also purchase a small portion of our required power from SEPA. Power from SEPA is generated by the Corps of Engineers dams on the Savannah River.
South Carolina Association of Municipal Power Systems (SCAMPS)
Abbeville is a member of SCAMPS, an association of all the cities in South Carolina that operate municipal electric systems. A mutual aid agreement between the 21 cities provides for assistance in the event of major electric system problems caused by weather or other natural disasters.
Water System
The Water Plant provides safe, potable water to the City of Abbevile service area for drinking, fire protection, and commerical and industrial uses. This is accomplished through a purification process, a water sampling and testing program to ensure water quality, pumping systems for raw water and treated water, and maintenance of a reservoir and tanks for water storage. The Abbeville Water System is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Sewer System
The Sewer Plant maintains the City's wastewater treatment facility that is capable of handling 1.7 million gallons per day of residential and industrial wastewater. All wastewater collected though the City's system is transported to the treatment facility, treated and processed, and then returned to the environment in a condition not harmful to the surroundings. The activities involved in this process are maintaining equipment and aerators/mixers, analyzing and testing treated samples, and proper disposal of treated sludge and bar screenings from the influent structure.
Contact Information
The Public Utilities office is located at 306 Cambridge Street in Abbeville. Office hours are Monday thru Friday 8:30 to 5:00. We can be reached by phone at (864) 366-5058, and by fax at (864) 366-8052. For after hours utility emergencies, dial (864) 366-5677.
Rates, Reports & Applications
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Consumer Confidence Report 2007 Electric Rates
Commercial Customer Utility Application Water Rates
Residential Customer Utility Application Sewer Rates