Dominion
- Dominion and NextEra Pitch Downtown Richmond Office Tower Tied to Merger
A shareholder-funded tower at 701 E. Cary St. joins expanded bill credits and a five-year Virginia headcount pledge.
- Loudoun Supervisors Vote 7-1-1 to Advance Yearlong Data Center Application Pause
Staff must draft a resolution for a final October vote after Chair Randall frames the pause as time to rewrite local rules.
- Dominion and NextEra Pledge Extra Bill Credits and Jobs if Merger Is Approved
The utilities say average residential customers would get $10 monthly credits for four years under a revised package tied to their proposed $67 billion combination.
- Valley Link Transmission Line Threatens Generational Farm in Orange County
Michael Carter Jr.
- In Rare Move, State Corporation Commission Orders Three In-Person Hearings for NextEra-Dominion Merger Case
Virginia State Corporation Commission members have ordered three opportunities for the public to have their say about the proposed NextEra-Dominion merger, the first to kick off Nov. 5. In this September 2, 2025 photo, commissions hear testimony in Richmond on a different case. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury) The State Corporation Commission has ordered additional chances for the public to officially testify in the case to approve or reject the proposed $67 billion NextEra-Dominion merger , Virginia regulators said Thursday.
- Destiny LeVere Bolling House Bill 434 Boosts Electric Grid Efficiency for Ratepayers
RICHMOND — The Virginia General Assembly gave final approval to House Bill 434 on March 2, 2026, directing major electric utilities to develop and implement metrics for maximizing the use of existing grid infrastructure. The measure, which passed the House of Delegates 93-4 after concurring with a Senate substitute, now heads to the governor for
- Old Dominion University Shooter, Convicted of Islamic State Links, Released From Prison Only 2 Years Before Attack
Documents from the court show that less than two years after Mohamed Bailor Jalloh had been released from prison on charges of attempting to help the Islamic State, he opened fire in a class before ROTC students were able to subdue and kill him.
- Loud Explosion Heard Friday Night in Leesburg
On Friday night in Leesburg Virginia, a loud noise and flash of light were heard. A Maryland resident claimed to have seen a lightning strike.
- New proposal from grid operator PJM would require data centers to bring their own power
Data center with transmission lines in Prince William County, VA. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury) PJM, the regional grid operator for most of the East Coast, is asking federal regulators to approve a rule requiring new large-load customers, namely data centers, to bring their own power supply to the grid. With Virginia among the 13 […]
- Data Center Bills Dominated This Year's General Assembly. Here's What Passed.
The rapid growth of Virginia’s data center industry was a key point of focus during the 2026 legislative session, as lawmakers sought to balance the sector’s benefits — including over $80 billion in state investments and thousands of jobs — against its enormous electricity and water needs, which are a growing concern for communities statewide. Legislators filed dozens of bills directly aimed at re
- Ghazala Hashmi calls on regulators to extend review period for NextEra-Dominion Energy merger
In a letter sent to the State Corporation Commission this week, Ghazala Hashmi urged the commissioners to more closely scrutinize the planned merger of Dominion Energy, the commonwealth’s largest electric utility provider, and Florida-based NextEra Energy. If the merger materializes, it would create the largest utility company in the nation. What Dominion and NextEra Energy’s […]
- Amid major federal shifts, McMahon urges Virginia universities to reform practices, restore public trust
As students prepare to return to class, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is asking Virginia’s college and university presidents and governing boards to review how they operate and make changes, with a specific focus on whether universities are delivering affordable, high-quality education while maintaining free speech, academic standards, and accountability to the public. McMahon […]
- What candidates have planned for Virginia’s coast could decide a key congressional race
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. With Virginia’s Aug. 4 primaries in the rearview mirror, the ballot is set in one of the nation’s most competitive congressional districts. In the state’s second congressional district, Republican […]
- Dominion asks State Corporation Commission to recover an additional $922 million for fuel costs over multiple years
Dominion Energy asked the State Corporation Commission to recover an additional $922 million in fuel costs, citing extreme power demands during as well as a national rise in gas prices as reasons for the escalation beyond its original calculations State Corporation Commission staff reported that Dominion’s “actual fuel and purchased power expenses rose dramatically from […]
- Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi hits the road to hear from Virginians on Dominion-NextEra merger
With the clock ticking on the six-month window for the State Corporation Commission to decide whether Dominion Energy should be allowed to merge with the Florida-based NextEra Energy, Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi said this week she would host a statewide tour to meet with constituents, educate them on the case and hear their opinions. Last […]
- Independent report calls for campus safety overhaul at Old Dominion University after fatal shooting
An independent firm recommended Old Dominion University improve campus safety, threat assessment, emergency response, communications, and institutional processes in a report released Tuesday, after a fatal campus shooting killed an employee and injured multiple students in May. The report comes as the university prepares to welcome students back to Norfolk on Aug. 24, three months […]
- State Corporation Commission Chair Kelsey Bagot, Former NextEra Attorney, Declines to Recuse Herself From Merger Case
On Tuesday, Virginia lawmakers heard from utility regulation experts on the potential impact of the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy. If approved, the merger would create the largest electric utility in the country. In the days preceding this week’s Commission on Electric Utility Regulation meeting, legislators asked State Corporation Commission Chair Kelsey […]
- Loudoun County School Board Holds Meeting on Proposed Transmission Lines
The Loudoun County School Board convened a special meeting at Rock Ridge High School to receive input from residents regarding Dominion Energy’s proposed high-voltage transmission lines. The project aims to support data center operations in the region by connecting substations with new infrastructure spanning approximately nine miles. Attendees voiced specific worries about the routes crossing […]
- State Corporation Commission commissioner, former NextEra attorney declines to recuse herself from merger case
On Tuesday, Virginia lawmakers heard from utility regulation experts on the potential impact of the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy. If approved, the merger would create the largest electric utility in the country. In the days preceding this week’s Commission on Electric Utility Regulation meeting, legislators asked State Corporation Commission Chair Kelsey […]
- Loudoun County School Board Votes on Transmission Line Restrictions
The Loudoun County School Board approved a measure by an eight to zero vote to restrict future transmission lines on school property. The board also reached a unanimous decision to appeal a State Corporation Commission ruling connected to the Golden to Mars project. These actions involve Dominion Energy and potential route adjustments. The decisions occurred […]
- Loudoun Supervisor Juli Briskman Calls for County Role in Dominion Energy Infrastructure Discussions
Loudoun County Supervisor Julie Briskman spoke during a recent meeting about the importance of county involvement in Dominion Energy infrastructure planning. She stated that the county requires a voice in these processes. Briskman observed that several projects are already constructed or under development. Her remarks focused on the need for input to address potential impacts. […]
- Spanberger takes unprecedented step to intervene in $67B Dominion-NextEra merger
Gov. Abigail Spanberger is stepping directly into the regulatory fight over the proposed $67 billion sale of Dominion Energy to Florida-based NextEra Energy, becoming the first Virginia governor to formally intervene in a case before the State Corporation Commission. Spanberger announced Thursday that she will seek intervenor status in the case, giving her administration the […]
- SCC orders Dominion to develop tariff to assign more transmission costs to data centers
More of the cost to build the high-voltage transmission lines that serve as power highways across the state could soon be covered by data centers, after a recent decision by state regulators. The State Corporation Commission has ordered Dominion Energy to develop a policy to directly assign the cost of transmission infrastructure to data centers […]
- Virginia senators request special session to act on ’deeply alarming’ groundwater report
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality released its 117-page legislative report on the state’s groundwater supply east of Interstate 95 this week, which revealed significant levels of strain on the eastern aquifers that could put clean drinking water at risk. “Groundwater supply east of I-95 is constrained, and current projections indicate declining availability in the […]
- Need for Volunteer Fire Fighters
This post was originally published on this site.This post was originally published on this site. Walt Bailey, Phenix Fire chief, is encouraging residents to volunteer with their local fire departments and EMS services. Rural communities in the region are struggling to keep enough personnel on hand to respond to emergency situations. Bailey, who has more […]
- Goochland residents rebuff data center developer Tract ahead of permit application
On Thursday evening, dozens of Goochland residents donned red t-shirts and held signs that spelled out their displeasure with the idea of multiple data centers being built in the county’s technology overlay district that butts up against Mosaic, a 55+ neighborhood that hosts over 500 homes. “We want to make sure that everyone understands that […]
- Virginia Environmental Agency Reviews Data Center Emissions Analysis
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality examined concerns raised about air emissions from a data center facility in Loudoun County. Director Michael Rolband received an analysis from the Piedmont Environmental Council in March and directed staff to review its findings on potential health effects. The report focused on a Vantage Data Centers site in Sterling […]
- Balancing Growth and Community Impacts Through Cost-Effective Infrastructure
Loudoun County and broader Northern Virginia face escalating demands for high-voltage transmission infrastructure to support the region’s dense concentration of data centers. Dominion Energy has advanced several projects, including elements of the Loudoun Reliability Loop linking the Aspen, Golden, Mars, and Wishing Star substations near Ashburn. These lines, operating at 500 and 230 kilovolts, ar
- Lawmakers call for special session to debate Dominion-NextEra merger
As the State Corporation Commission prepares to begin a months-long review of the potential merger of Virginia’s largest electric utility company Dominion Energy and the Florida-based NextEra Energy, two Republican state lawmakers on Tuesday urged Gov. Abigail Spanberger to host a special legislative session that would allow a vote to extend the review period. The […]
- Data centers want to build their own gas turbines. Would that skirt state renewable energy laws?
Virginia’s surging energy demands require more power generation infrastructure to be built, a slow process that’s delaying new data centers waiting to be connected to the grid. Dominion Energy, the state’s largest utility, has an estimated 70 gigawatts worth of projects in their queue that need more power sources online before they can link to […]
- Northern Virginia’s Data Center Boom Threatens Family Health with Expanding Power Lines and Substations
Rapid data center construction across Loudoun and Prince William Counties is forcing a massive expansion of high-voltage transmission lines and substations that scientific research associates with higher rates of childhood leukemia and other serious illnesses. Loudoun County already contains the world’s densest concentration of these facilities, with roughly 250 operational data centers and more t
- Virginia’s Return to RGGI: A Costly Carbon Tax Disguised as Utility Relief
The recent passage of the Virginia state budget marks a controversial return to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a move that critics argue will unnecessarily burden hardworking taxpayers. Governor Abigail Spanberger has championed this re-entry, despite clear evidence that the program functions as a hidden carbon tax on everyday utility consumers. To mitigate the self-inflicted […]
- Virginia’s Forced RGGI Reentry: A Hidden Tax Masked as Utility Relief
Virginia taxpayers and utility customers are bracing for the fiscal impacts of the state’s forced reentry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative under the upcoming state budget. Governor Abigail Spanberger recently outlined a legislative plan to return a portion of the revenue collected from this controversial carbon cap-and-trade program directly to everyday consumers. While the […]
- Virginia’s FY2027 Budget Saddles Taxpayers with $1.1 Billion in Higher Education Debt
The newly finalized budget for the 2026-2028 biennium in the State of Virginia introduces significant financial burdens on taxpayers through massive higher education spending. Lawmakers have allocated a staggering $349.7 million for higher education funding, raising serious concerns about fiscal responsibility and government overreach. Instead of forcing universities to trim administrative bloat,
- Virginia Implements Historic Data Center Tax Amidst Rising Public Costs and Budgetary Battles
Virginia has officially implemented a first-of-its-kind statewide energy consumption tax on data centers as part of the FY2027-FY2028 biennial budget. The new policy levies a $0.011 per kilowatt-hour charge on electricity consumed by facilities housing massive server and network systems. Governor Abigail Spanberger championed the measure, stating it ensures the rapidly expanding industry pays its
- SCC considers making data centers shoulder more of the cost of transmission lines
Transmission lines for a data center in Prince William County, VA. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury) Consumer advocates have joined Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration to argue that high-load customers like data centers should pay for the high-voltage lines that solely serve them, a stance now playing out as part of Dominion Energy’s case with state […]
- Loudoun School Board Schedules Special Session on Transmission Line Request
The Loudoun County School Board has scheduled a special meeting for July 13, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at Rock Ridge High School to discuss a request from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. The request seeks authorization to use school property for alternative routes of Dominion Energy’s Golden to Mars transmission line project. The meeting […]
- Virginia Regulators Approve Data Center Power Line Route Through Ashburn Neighborhood
The Virginia State Corporation Commission has issued a final order approving Route 3A for the Golden-Mars transmission line project proposed by Dominion Energy. This route will involve the construction of approximately 185-foot tall power line structures passing through portions of the Loudoun Valley Estates subdivision in Ashburn. The decision addresses the need for additional electrical […]
- Spanberger signs assault weapons ban, package of criminal justice and energy bills
Gov. Abigail Spanberger late Thursday signed a sweeping package of legislation approved during the 2026 General Assembly session, including a ban on the future sale and manufacture of assault-style firearms, new restrictions of weapons in hospitals, marijuana sentencing reforms, voter roll maintenance changes and protections for immigrant workers. The assault weapons measure, one of the […]
- Rejected Virginia student voter registrations, Judge approves settlement
A federal judge has approved a consent decree requiring Virginia election officials to accept certain voter registration applications submitted by college students, resolving a lawsuit that alleged students were being improperly denied registration over missing dormitory-related details. The agreement, approved last week by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, bars electi
- How Virginia became the world’s data center capital and how it’s going
Demand for internet access and electronic storage has grown alongside digital technology itself. At the center of that growth are the energy infrastructure and data centers that governments and companies began developing in Northern Virginia in the late 20th century. Today, the region houses the world’s largest concentration of data centers, making Virginia the nation’s […]
- Dominion announces plans for new 3-gigawatt gas plant in Cumberland County
Dominion Energy is aiming to expand their portfolio of energy sources in Virginia with a massive 3,000 megawatt (3 gigawatts) combined cycle natural gas plant in Cumberland County. The utility is now preparing to seek state and local regulators’ approval of the plant, slated to be operational in less than 10 years. The plant will […]
- Virginia lawmakers return Monday to weigh Spanberger budget amendments before fiscal deadline
Less than 48 hours before the start of Virginia’s new fiscal year, the General Assembly will meet in Richmond Monday to consider Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s proposed amendments to the state’s two-year spending plan lawmakers passed one week ago. The House of Delegates will reconvene at noon to take up the governor’s amendments first, followed later […]
- Virginia General Assembly approves Spanberger’s budget amendments, ending monthslong impasse
With less than 48 hours remaining before the start of Virginia’s new fiscal year, the General Assembly on Monday approved a package of amendments proposed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger to the state’s two-year budget, formally ending a budget fight among the Democratic majority that had dragged on for months. The House of Delegates and state […]
- ‘It’s outrageous’: Spanberger navigates budget fight, Democratic unrest six months into governorship
Back in January, Gov. Abigail Spanberger arrived in office promising pragmatism, affordability and a less combative style of politics. Fast forward a few months, and Virginia’s first woman governor finds herself navigating one of the rockiest starts to a Democratic administration in years, with budget negotiations intensifying weeks before a shutdown deadline, frustration simmering inside […]
- Valley Link Transmission Project: Proposed High-Voltage Lines Spark Debate Across Virginia and Beyond
A major infrastructure initiative known as Valley Link is advancing through planning stages to address growing electricity demand in the Mid-Atlantic region. Developed by Valley Link Transmission LLC—a joint venture of Dominion Energy, Transource (involving American Electric Power), and FirstEnergy—the project features 765kV transmission lines intended to enhance grid reliability. However, it has
- Budget amendment would give ratepayers estimated $3 monthly rebate from RGGI funds
An amendment to return 45% of funds earned through the regional carbon market to rate-paying residents, small business and churches is part of the two-year budget Virginia lawmakers passed Monday, which is now under review by Gov. Abigail Spanberger. The provision would require utilities that burn carbon energy sources in the state to purchase carbon […]
- Residents wrangle over transmission line proposal for rural Virginia
GOOCHLAND, Va.—Deborah Blackburn leaned on her cane in a line to enter the Central High Cultural and Educational Complex, angst-ridden over a giant transmission line proposal for reasons that are common refrains here: It’s all to benefit data centers in Northern Virginia, and it will disrupt the rural character here outside Richmond. “We don’t want […]
- Supervisor Juli Briskman Voices Opposition to 50 New Substations in Loudoun
Loudoun County Supervisor Juli Briskman stated that 50 more substations are planned for the county. She indicated her plan to vote against the proposals because of the appearance of current designs. These structures have been described as visually unappealing to nearby residents. The issue has arisen in the context of ongoing county development activities. Briskman […]
- Virginia legislators advance $205 billion budget including new tax on data centers
On Monday, Virginia legislators approved a two-year, $205 billion budget proposal to fund healthcare and public education, provide 4% teacher raises and a 3.5% pay bump to state employees, establish a retail weed marketplace and hedge against decreased federal dollars. The spending plan also includes a provision to tax data centers for their energy consumption, […]