South Carolina Business Bulletin

Downshifting

COLUMBIA — An automotive supplier in Richland County will begin consolidating work in Virginia during the coming year and take 440 jobs with it.

Continental evaluated its manufacturing plants because of the struggling auto industry. After analyzing sites in Blythewood and Newport News, Va., the company decided to consolidate in Virginia. "At the end of the day, we have two plants that are not fully utilized in their capacity," said Stefan Demmerle, Blythewood plant manager.

Continental employs 360 people at its Midlands plant, where it makes diesel fuel injectors. It employs another 80 at an engineering facility in Columbia. Both locations will close during the next 12 to 18 months.

Off the green

The owner of Wedgefield Plantation Country Club in Georgetown filed for bankruptcy, and the company's attorney said a buyer for the 18-hole golf course and surrounding property will be sought.

Wedgefield Plantation Golf & Country Club LLC listed assets of $6.1 million and debts of $5.12 million. The club closed earlier this month. The company planned to develop part of the property into home sites, but it ran into opposition and a softening housing market.

Wind power

GREENVILLE — General Electric Co. said its Greenville plant would play a big role in filling the company's largest order to date for electricity-generating turbines — a 56-turbine contract from the Iraqi government worth nearly $3 billion. Even so, GE said it sees no need to boost its Greenville work force beyond the current level of about 3,200.

Power play

COLUMBIA — State regulators wrapped up hearing SCE&G's proposal to expand its nuclear plant in Jenkinsville, but not before the utility was ordered to reveal the bottom-line figure for building two reactor units.

SCE&G, which is partnering with state-owned Santee Cooper on the project, has battled to keep the figure from being made public.

As it turns out, SCE&G could be getting a better bargain than it previously disclosed.

Jimmy Addison, chief financial officer, said the bottom-line estimate is $4.8 billion. That's what it would pay to the designer, manufacturer and contractor.

SCE&G had said the design and construction costs were $6.3 billion, taking into account an inflation factor of 5 percent a year over the life of the project, scheduled to end in 2019.