“These changes appear to be concessions to the reality that most Virginians do not want this takeover to move forward.”
Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy announced on Sept. 14 additional benefits for Virginia as part of their merger proposal, which has raised concerns among advocacy groups and state leaders.
The companies said they would extend a residential bill relief program that offers customers $10 monthly credits from two years to four years. They would also increase a low-income energy bill assistance program by $100 million through 2038.
Dominion and NextEra said they would keep current Dominion jobs in Virginia for five years and add 600 new NextEra jobs in Virginia. The companies said their work with suppliers would bring in another 400 jobs. The companies also said they would add another office tower in downtown Richmond near Dominion’s headquarters.
Dominion and NextEra also pledged to give $100 million to support workforce development, including working with labor unions to support career development.
Earlier this year, Florida-based NextEra and Dominion moved to combine in a $67 billion deal. The fate of the deal in Virginia rests with the State Corporation Commission (SCC), a three-member body with hundreds of staff that regulates public utilities like Dominion.
NextEra CEO John Ketchum and Dominion CEO Bob Blue explained in a Sept. 14 op-ed in The Washington Post that the expanded benefits package is in response to the numerous concerns Virginians have raised about how the proposed merger would impact their bills and communities.
“Based on Virginians’ feedback, we are proposing an even stronger package,” Ketchum and Blue wrote.
News of the added benefits was met with mixed reactions.
State Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) said on social media the new package has a lot of positives for the State Corporation Commission to consider.
Jack Bledsoe, a spokesperson for Gov. Abigail Spanberger, said the governor’s office was reviewing the revised merger.
Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi (D) said in a statement that the changes to the merger proposal do not “detract from the fundamental question: how will Virginians be protected now and in the future from escalating costs, from bearing the burden of data centers, and from a large monopoly that will control a significant public necessity.”
“These changes appear to be concessions to the reality that most Virginians do not want this takeover to move forward,” said Hashmi.
Hashmi is touring the state this month to raise awareness about the merger and hear about people’s concerns. Hashmi is part of a group of state leaders and advocacy groups who want to extend the review time of the deal. Others have come out against the deal entirely. They are concerned about how the deal could make electric bills go up at a time when people are upset over data center and energy infrastructure development in Virginia.
Under the current timeline, the SCC is expected to decide on the deal in January 2027.
Both Spanberger and House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott (D) have said they don’t support extending the SCC’s review time. Spanberger has filed to “intervene” in the SCC case, which means her administration can formally participate in it.
Still, the recent changes to the deal suggest the companies involved are feeling the pressure to strengthen their pitch to Virginia, according to Michael Town, the executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. Town questioned whether the changes were enough to make the deal worth approving.
“I haven’t heard a single Virginian say that they would be happy if their monthly electric bill was only $10 cheaper or if Richmond had another building added to its skyline,” Town said. “This ploy should be viewed with the same skepticism as the original proposal, and lawmakers and the SCC should make sure that Virginians are protected and benefit regardless of who sends them an electric bill.”
Virginians will get more chances to share their concerns about the merger after the SCC ordered additional public hearings about the proposal, according to a filing in the case published Sept. 9.
The SCC ordered three local hearings be scheduled so people can weigh in on the case but the timing and location of two of the hearings are still to be determined. The one hearing that has been scheduled will be on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the SCC’s second-floor courtroom at 1300 E. Main St. in Richmond.
In its order for additional in-person hearings, the SCC said the question of whether Dominion and NextEra’s $67 billion merger proposal should be approved “is not a normal case.”
“Under the facts and circumstances of this case, the addition of remote, in-person hearings as outlined in the order provides an appropriate additional outlet for the receipt of input from [the] public,” the order reads.
People can also call the SCC at set times to share their comments. Those times are: Thursday, Nov. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Monday, Nov. 9, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and Tuesday, Nov. 10, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
People also have the option of submitting written comments through Nov. 9.
The SCC said in its order that comments received online, by phone, or in person become part of the record of the Dominion-NextEra case.
