Sal Orlando, News Editor
Tadek Wieczorek, Contributing Writer
Mixed opinions during public comments
The State Corporation Commission held a public comment meeting at their headquarters in Richmond on Nov. 5, allowing citizens to voice their concerns on the potential merger between Dominion Energy, the primary electric utility provider for the state, and Florida-based NextEra Energy. If approved, the combined company would become the largest electric utility company by market value,
The meeting’s speakers featured many business leaders, lobbyists, Richmond residents, elected officials, and Sen. Kannan Srinivasan (D). Opinions were mixed, with people on both sides of the debate offering comments for the commission.
Around 2,400 written comments were submitted by the time of the hearing, according to Commissioner Samuel Towell,
Virginia State Sen. Kannan Srinivasan, (D-32), representing eastern Loudoun County, said that the decision before the commission was the most consequential in a generation.
“We cannot discuss it without addressing what is driving it: Energy demand, driven by data centers,” Srinivasan said.
The merger would create the largest regulated utility in the world with 10 million customers and 110 gigawatts of power, according to Virginia Mercury.
“I represent Eastern Loudoun, the heart of data center alley,” Srinivasan said. “I have lived there nearly 30 years. My neighbors and I have observed the earliest and heaviest impacts on the grid.”
Srinivasan said his constituents have experienced higher bills, transmission lines cutting through residential areas, noise pollution, and the strain on the electric grid.
“For years, my constituents and Virginians across the commonwealth have told their elected officials about the increasingly urgent concern about rising utility costs, and the affordability crisis we are facing,” Srinivasan said.
Liam Keough, a clean energy industry expert and meeting attendee, said he is opposed to the merger because he is worried about long term affordability for residents.
Keough said NextEra Energy has a track record of alleged corruption in Florida, including paying off journalists, spying on journalists, attempting to bribe Jacksonville’s utility companies and running ghost candidates in elections. He said the former CEO resigned in 2023 due to federal investigations tied to corruption.
“NextEra has an even worse reputation.” Keough said to the commission. “My peers, some of whom are NextEra’s former employees, frequently crack jokes about how NextEra sabotages other independent power producers projects, by obstructing substation access, and siphoning landowners, despite having no intention of developing a real project.”
Keogh said he does not have any issues with Kelsey Bagot, former senior attorney for NextEra Energy, being on the commission.
“I work in the industry and it has given me a lot of knowledge to better educate myself, to make a better informed decision,” Keough said. “I would ask that she [Bagot] keep in mind the residents of Virginia and not be affiliated to her former employer. I respect her experience.”
Opposition tabled by Richmond City Council
Richmond City Council deliberated on a resolution, patroned by councilwoman Kenya Gibson,
on Nov. 9, that would express the council’s formal opposition to the merger. The resolution was tabled to the following city council meeting on Dec. 14.
City Council President Cynthia Newbile, Council Vice President Katherine Jordan and Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch raised concerns, over the resolution being proposed without enough information about the merger available. The vote to table the resolution was five ayes, two nays and two absentions.
Public comment during the meeting consisted of one person opposed to the resolution, who was a Dominion Energy employee, and 11 people in support of the resolution. A sentiment of a concern about energy costs going up was shared amongst supporters of the resolution.
Erika Schmale, a Richmond resident who was opposed to the merger, said the decision being continued signifies the council moving slowly, killing the ability for Richmond to oppose the merger.
The next SCC hearing for the merger will be on Nov. 17, before the next city council meeting, according to the SCC.
“By the time the next meeting comes around, the judges will have already made a decision,” Schmale said.
Schmale said the merger would be terrible for ratepayers in Virginia, given the concern about a rate increases. She said she feels that the city council does not appropriately represent Richmonders opposition to the merger.
Scott Lebow, a professional engineer who was opposed to the merger, said that the city council not making a stance prior to the next hearing means they are saying they would rather have a decision made without their input.
“This doesn’t seem like they are prioritizing their voices being heard, seeming to agree with whatever the SCC agrees with,” Lebow said. “To me, this is a bit of a cowardly backward facing move, so that when the record is set by the SCC, the city council can say that they agreed with it all along.”
Concerns from the campaign trail.
Shannon Taylor, Rep.elect (D-Va-1), said during a campaign press conference that she came out early against the merger because she did not believe Virginians had a clear idea what the merger was about.
“What we have seen happen over the past four to six weeks is a modification of what is supposed to happen with this merger,” Taylor said. “Virginians deserve to know exactly what is happening and not just what is the impact of what will happen immediately, but what is the game plan five, 10, 20 years out when we are talking about the largest monopoly merger happening here in our Commonwealth. We need to know what the real answers are.”
Incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va-1) said after a campaign rally that the SCC’s decision needs to be in the best interest of Virginia rate payers.
“We need to make sure there is investment in the future of energy production in Virginia,” Wittman said. “We need to make sure that we have small module reactors for natural gas. I don’t have any problem with alternatives or renewables, as long as we’re using everything, and making the best financial decisions on behalf of Virginia ratepayers.”
The State Corporation Commission’s final ruling on the merger is expected in January 2027.