Charlottesville to join in review of Dominion / Next Era merger

In May, Dominion Energy announced it would merge with Florida-based NextEra Energy, a business move that must be approved by federal and state regulators.

On July 15, the companies filed applications with multiple agencies including the Virginia State Corporation Commission. According to a recent update on the Dominion site, the two companies claim they’ll give up to $2.25 billion credits to Dominion customers across Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

There are a variety of ways for anyone to give comment. The SCC will hold an in-person hearing on November 5 in Richmond at which people can register to give testimony. You have until November 2 to do so. There will also be three opportunities to give an official oral comment over the telephone. All of the information is on the SCC’s website dedicated to the merger.

Shannon Heckt reports in the Virginia Mercury that the SCC has ordered two more in-person hearings with times and locations to be determined. The SCC website has not yet been updated.

The original petition filed by Dominion and its partners is one that seeks for a transfer of control.

“Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Company will continue to operate with the same legal status and will remain a Virginia public service corporation and public utility with no material operational changes,” reads the opening paragraph of the petition.

The petition states that Dominion has 3.6 million customers and NextEra serves more than 6 million in Florida under the company name Florida Power & Light Company. After the merger, Dominion shareholders would own 25.5 percent of the combined assets and would be paid $360 million in cash.

Within days, environmental groups including Clean Virginia and the Sierra Club began filing their intention to oppose the merger as did other groups such as the Virginia Committee for Fair Utility Rates who indicated their support.

Governor Abigail Spanberger filed a notice of intent to participate on August 17 out of a concern the merger would not be in the best interest of ratepayers.

“The Joint Petition, if granted, would bring unparalleled change to Virginia’s economy, labor market, and electric utility regulation in general, and as proposed, risks saddling all businesses and consumers in the Commonwealth with unaffordable rates that are not in the public interest,” reads a portion of the response.

There’s a lot in the docket worth reviewing if you’re interested in doing a bit more research. You can find all of the documents in PUR-2026-00112.

Today the City of Charlottesville announced they will enter the case as a respondent.

“By participating in this case, the City can present evidence, examine the proposed merger’s effects on our community, and advocate for protections that address our residents’ needs,” an information release quotes City Attorney John Maddux.

The release notes that one of the city’s interest is in raising concerns about utility poles that block sidewalks.

“Our residents deserve affordable, reliable electricity and a utility partner that helps us meet our climate goals and make our sidewalks accessible to everyone,” the release quotes Charlottesville City Councilor Jen Fleisher.

For more information on the case, visit the SCC’s website.

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