Exhibit 99

                                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                         Investor Contact: H. John Winn, III
                                         (803) 217-9240

                                         Media Contact: Brian Duncan
                                         (800) 562-9308

           SCE&G Announces V.C. Summer Nuclear Station Repairs Nearing
                 Completion; Restart Expected by Early February

            Cope Generating Station Undergoes Unscheduled Maintenance


Columbia,  SC, January 9, 2001...South  Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G),
principal  subsidiary of SCANA  Corporation  (NYSE:  SCG),  announced today that
repair and testing of a faulty weld in a pipe in the reactor  coolant  system at
the V.C.  Summer  Nuclear  Station are  progressing  well,  and the plant should
return to service in late January or early February.

"We initially  thought we would be able to put the nuclear plant back in service
in early  January,  but the repair work has been very time consuming and we want
to make sure there are no questions  about the  integrity of the new weld," said
Steve Byrne, vice president of nuclear operations for SCE&G.

On  October  7, 2000,  SCE&G  shut down the  1,000-megawatt  plant for a routine
refueling  and  maintenance  outage.  During the early  inspection  phase of the
refueling  shut-down,  which is done every 18 months, plant employees discovered
indications of a leak. The leak was later identified to be very small and coming
from a 3/16-inch  diameter hole in a weld in a 30-inch  diameter primary coolant
system  pipe. A 12-inch  spool piece of pipe which  includes the entire weld has
been cut out and a new  spool  piece has been  installed.  The new welds on this
replacement  spool piece are nearing  completion and will be inspected to ensure
there are no flaws.

SCE&G has made three  presentations to the Nuclear  Regulatory  Commission (NRC)
addressing  this repair.  The final meeting with the NRC on this issue will be a
public meeting at the plant site on January 18, 2001. A Safety Evaluation Report
from the NRC is expected prior to that meeting indicating that all NRC questions
have been  satisfactorily  answered.  Weld  repairs and all  associated  testing
should be completed by mid-January with restart of the plant currently scheduled
for the end of January or the first week of February 2001.

The company cannot estimate how much the additional  repair work will add to the
cost of the outage. However, the company expects to defer and amortize any costs
above the  amounts  normally  accrued  for this  refueling  outage,  subject  to
regulatory review.

SCE&G also reported that its  385-megawatt  coal-fired Cope  Generating  Station
experienced  an  unplanned  shut-down  on January  3, 2001 due to an  electrical
ground in the generator.  Plant personnel are currently evaluating the nature of
the  problem  and  appropriate   corrective  action.  Upon  completion  of  that
evaluation, an expected restart date will be determined.

5





The energy cost of replacement  power during the outages of these  facilities is
expected  to be  included  as a  component  of total fuel costs in SCE&G's  next
annual electric fuel cost hearing before the Public Service  Commission of South
Carolina scheduled for April 2001.

SCANA  Corporation,  headquartered in Columbia,  SC, is an energy-based  holding
company principally engaged,  through subsidiaries,  in electric and natural gas
utility  operations,  telecommunications  and other  energy-related  businesses.
SCE&G is a regulated public utility  providing  electricity to more than 533,000
customers  and natural gas to  approximately  263,000  customers  in portions of
central and southern South Carolina.  Information about SCANA and its businesses
is available on the company's website at www.scana.com.

                                      # # #












6