Tripp Berry, of Summerville, and Josh Oden, from Ridgeville, along with 10 other college students from around the state, were chosen to participate in the 2009 intern program.

“The most enticing feature of the program was the idea of working outside on a daily basis,” said Berry, a junior biosystems engineering student at Clemson University. “I also liked rotating in many different work fields enabling me to see many different areas of Santee Cooper.”

Oden, also a junior biosystems engineering student at Clemson University, added, “I have a good overall understanding of how a power company operates and I think it is important to know how power is produced. I’ve also learned a lot about communication and project management.”

This internship isn’t for the faint of heart-- interns work for two weeks each in four areas, which include conservation and renewable energy, analytical and biological services, environmental services, property management, vector management, investment recovery, right of way management and air quality.

“Hands-on experience and application is a crucial part of the learning process,” said Jay Hudson, manager of environmental management. “Through the environmental internship program, Santee Cooper is taking this a step further by allowing the interns to work in several departments that contribute to our corporate environmental management.”

The interns also took part in a research project for utility President and Chief Executive Officer Lonnie Carter. The project examined the feasibility of alternative and renewable energy sources in South Carolina. Santee Cooper has a goal of generating 40 percent of its energy by 2020 from non-greenhouse gas emitting resources, biomass fuels, conservation and energy efficiency.

“The project drew its focus from the proposed renewable energy legislation. The interns researched what types of renewable energy work for South Carolina, as well as some costs associated with each,” said Marc Tye, Santee Cooper vice president of conservation and renewable energy. “It reinforced what we already know—that South Carolina has limited options for significant renewable energy generation that is also affordable, and it gave the interns valuable experience researching such an important and timely topic.”

Environmental interns are appointed by members of Congress and the state General Assembly. The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina also appoints one intern each summer. More information about the annual program is available on the utility’s Web site, www.santeecooper.com.