Orangeburg County, South Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Orangeburg and Holly Hill
Orangeburg County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Orangeburg County is home to Orangeburg, Holly Hill, Branchville and Santee. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Orangeburg County data center moratorium (proposed)”. 174 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by SR Cordova, LLC (solar), the 5th largest pipeline among South Carolina's counties. Unemployment was 5.7% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. 226 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Orangeburg County
Orangeburg County is home to Orangeburg, Holly Hill, Branchville and Santee.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Brookdale, Edisto, Wilkinson Heights.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Orangeburg County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 83,961 | 83,177 | ▼ 0.9% | 18th of 46 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 28,901 | 27,181 | ▼ 6.0% | 39th of 46 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,467 | $48,883 | ▲ 23.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 5.7% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 226 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 174 MW | 24% of today's fleet | 5th of 16 by size |
Its power plants have 716 MW of capacity, 60% of it natural gas. Employers here counted 27,181 jobs in 2025, down 6.0% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 77, at an average $70,976 a year. Aiken Electric Coop Inc is the largest utility serving Orangeburg County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.53¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.59¢ median for South Carolina utilities. 83,177 people live here, down 0.9% since 2020.
Who powers Orangeburg County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +226 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Orangeburg County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 49,460 | 15.53¢ | 14% |
| City of Orangeburg - (SC) | Municipal | Bundled | 20,639 | 15.49¢ | 34% |
| Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC) | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,672 | 18.51¢ | 13% |
| Edisto Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,421 | 16.40¢ | 15% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 11
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 431 MW | 60% |
| Solar | 271 MW | 38% |
| Petroleum | 14 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cope | Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc | Natural gas | 417 MW | 1996 |
| Huntley | Cubico USA, LLC | Solar | 75 MW | 2020 |
| Palmetto Plains | Cubico USA, LLC | Solar | 75 MW | 2019 |
| TWE Bowman Solar Project | SunStrong Management | Solar | 75 MW | 2020 |
| Peony Solar | SunStrong Management | Solar | 39 MW | 2018 |
| North Road Peak | City of Orangeburg - (SC) | Petroleum | 14 MW | 1987 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR Cordova | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | SR Cordova, LLC |
| Shining Sun Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 74 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | Shining Sun Solar |
The Orangeburg County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 27,181 | $48,883 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 77 | $70,976 | 0.39 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Orangeburg County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg County data center moratorium (proposed) | In force | 2026-09 |
Orangeburg County and its neighbors
Of the 9 counties that border Orangeburg County, Berkeley County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg County | 83,177 | ▼ 6.0% | 716 MW | 174 MW | — | 1 |
| Aiken County | 181,515 | ▲ 8.7% | 855 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Bamberg County | 12,796 | ▼ 2.9% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Barnwell County | 20,653 | ▼ 12.1% | 41 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Berkeley County | 274,666 | ▲ 27.0% | 3,417 MW | 300 MW | 5 | — |
| Calhoun County | 14,188 | ▼ 1.9% | 907 MW | — | — | — |
| Clarendon County | 31,043 | ▼ 3.6% | 8 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Colleton County | 39,382 | ▼ 5.7% | 2 MW | 75 MW | — | 3 |
| Dorchester County | 178,397 | ▲ 15.0% | 22 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Lexington County | 317,588 | ▲ 9.9% | 708 MW | — | 1 | — |
More of South Carolina
Orangeburg County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Orangeburg County, South Carolina?
4 utilities have service territory in Orangeburg County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Aiken Electric Coop Inc, City of Orangeburg - (SC), Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC), Edisto Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Aiken Electric Coop Inc, charged residential customers 15.53¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Orangeburg, SC in?
Orangeburg is in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. About 13,383 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Orangeburg County?
11 operating plants with 716 MW of capacity. The largest is Cope (417 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Orangeburg County?
174 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is SR Cordova, LLC.
Are there data centers in Orangeburg County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Orangeburg County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Berkeley County.
Is Orangeburg County adding jobs?
Employers counted 27,181 jobs in 2025 against 28,901 in 2019 (-6.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Orangeburg County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Orangeburg County, 1 in force.