
                                SCANA Corporation
                                1426 Main Street
                         Columbia, South Carolina 29201


                                                    May 22, 2000


Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, DC  20549

Gentlemen:

     This opinion is furnished to the  Securities and Exchange  Commission  (the
"Commission")  in  connection  with  the  filing  with  the  Commission  of  the
application-declaration      on     Form     U-1     (File     70-9639)     (the
"Application-Declaration")  of SCANA  Corporation  ("SCANA")  under  the  Public
Utility   Holding   Company  Act  of  1935,   as  amended   (the   "Act").   The
Application-Declaration  seeks  approval for (i) the granting of awards of stock
options,  stock appreciation  rights,  restricted stock,  performance shares and
performance  units  (collectively,  the "Awards") under SCANA's Long-Term Equity
Compensation Plan (the "Plan"), (ii) the issuance by SCANA of up to five million
shares of its no par value  common  stock (the  "Common  Stock") over the period
beginning with the effective date of an order issued pursuant to the Application
Declaration  and  continuing  for a period of three  years from the date of such
order in connection with such Awards, and (iii) the solicitation of proxies with
respect to the Plan at SCANA's 2000 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

     I am general  counsel for SCANA and in connection  with this opinion I have
examined   originals  or  copies   certified  or  otherwise   identified  to  my
satisfaction of:

     (1)  The charter documents and by-laws of SCANA, as amended to date;

     (2)  Minutes of meetings of SCANA's shareholders and directors, as kept in

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Securities and Exchange Commission
May 22, 2000
Page 2


          their respective minute books; and

     (3)  The  documents  and  agreements  pertaining  to  the  Awards  and  the
          solicitation     of    proxies     therefor     described    in    the
          Application-Declaration  and such other  certificates,  documents  and
          papers  as I  deemed  necessary  or  appropriate  for the  purpose  of
          rendering this opinion.

     In such examination,  I have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the
authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to
the original  documents of all  documents  submitted to us as copies.  As to any
facts material to my opinion, I have, when relevant facts were not independently
established, relied upon the aforesaid agreements, instruments, certificates and
documents.  In addition,  I have examined such  questions of law as I considered
necessary or appropriate for the purpose of rendering this opinion.

     The  opinions   expressed  below  are  subject  to  the  following  further
assumptions and conditions:

     (a)  The Commission shall have duly entered an appropriate  order or orders
          with  respect to the  transactions  contemplated  in the  Application-
          Declaration  granting and  permitting the  Application-Declaration  to
          become   effective  under  the  Act  and  the  rules  and  regulations
          thereunder    and    the    transactions     contemplated    in    the
          Application-Declaration are consummated in accordance therewith.

     (b)  A  registration  statement  with respect to the shares of SCANA Common
          Stock to be issued in connection with the transactions contemplated in
          the  Application-Declaration  shall have become effective  pursuant to
          the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"); no stop order
          shall have been  entered  with  respect  thereto;  and the issuance of
          securities in connection  with the  transactions  contemplated  in the
          Application-  Declaration  shall have been  consummated  in compliance
          with the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

     (c)  The shareholders of SCANA shall have approved the Plan.

     (d)  Certificates  representing  any shares of SCANA  Common  Stock  issued
          pursuant  to the Plan  shall have been duly  executed,  countersigned,
          registered  and  delivered  pursuant  to the terms and  subject to the
          conditions  set forth in the Plan and  authorized  for  listing on any
          securities exchange on which the SCANA Common Stock is then listed.

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Securities and Exchange Commission
May 22, 2000
Page 3


     (e)  No act or event other than as  described  herein  shall have  occurred
          subsequent  to  the  date  hereof  which  would  change  the  opinions
          expressed herein.

     Based on the foregoing,  and subject to the final paragraph hereof, I am of
the  opinion  that when the  Commission  has taken the action  requested  in the
Application-Declaration:

     (1)  All state laws  applicable  to the  transactions  contemplated  in the
          Application-Declaration have been complied with;

     (2)  SCANA is validly  organized  and duly  existing  under the laws of the
          State of South Carolina;

     (3)  The shares of SCANA Common Stock to be issued in  connection  with the
          transactions  contemplated  in  the  Application-Declaration  will  be
          validly  issued,  fully paid and  non-assessable,  and holders thereof
          will be entitled to the rights and privileges  appertaining thereto as
          set forth in the charter documents and by-laws of SCANA; and

     (4)  The consummation of the transactions  contemplated in the Application-
          Declaration  will not violate  the legal  rights of the holders of any
          securities issued by SCANA.

     I  hereby  consent  to  the  use  of  this  opinion  as an  exhibit  to the
Application-Declaration.

     I am a member of the State Bar of South  Carolina  and do not purport to be
an expert on, nor do I opine as to, the laws of any jurisdiction  other than the
State of South Carolina and the federal laws of the United States of America.

                                       Very truly yours,

                                       /s/ H. Thomas Arthur
                                       -------------------------
                                       H. Thomas Arthur
                                       Senior Vice President and
                                         General Counsel
