Virginia customers push back on $67 billion utility deal as another rate hike looms

Across Virginia, utility customers worry that NextEra's proposed $67 billion purchase of Dominion Energy could lead to higher electric bills.

The anxiety is intensifying because Dominion is simultaneously pursuing another rate increase, sharpening debate over how Virginia's energy buildout will be funded, according to WTVR.

Here's what to know

At the State Corporation Commission, opposition has been pouring in: More than 200 comments have already been filed on the proposed deal, many from people who say existing power costs are already squeezing household finances.

Among those speaking out is Dominion customer Laura Arnett, who told the outlet that paying her electric bill has become a significant burden.

"All of us little people are just going to be lining their pockets while we're still struggling to make ends meet," Arnett said.

The merger debate is unfolding alongside a separate Dominion filing. 

The utility is seeking approval for a rate increase it says is necessary to fund grid improvements, its underground program, and rural broadband, which would add roughly $3.46 per month to bills.

For some Virginians, the combination of the proposed merger and the new filing has made it harder to trust promises of savings. 

Under the deal, the companies claim customers would receive $1.8 billion in bill credits that, according to WTVR, could reduce monthly bills by about $10 for two years.

More background

In those filings, customers have raised a mix of objections, including already-expensive service, a pattern of rate increases, potential staffing cuts, and fears that a new owner from outside Virginia would be less responsive locally.

"Our utility bills are sky-high. Our rates were just increased for a second time this year. No out-of-state company should be in charge of electricity in Virginia," a customer from Howardsville wrote.

Critics have also pointed to NextEra's record in Florida, where its subsidiary — Florida Power and Light — has drawn scrutiny over rates and corporate conduct.

Comments submitted in Virginia also referenced Florida's historic rate increases, nearly 1.3 million home disconnections for nonpayment in 2024, and a political scandal tied to allegations of ghost candidates and surveillance of journalists.

Only a small number of the submitted comments backed the merger. 

One commenter from Waynesboro argued that "Virginia deserves an electric utility that is financially strong, technologically advanced, and prepared to meet the state's growing energy demands."

What's being done?

The merger remains under regulatory review.

Multiple legislators have sent letters to the State Corporation Commission calling for an in-person public hearing rather than the phone hearing scheduled for November.

Regulators weigh such hearings when deciding whether a deal serves the public. 

Much of the pushback centers on the prospect of higher bills and on demands that utilities answer more directly for decisions involving essential infrastructure.

Dominion said in a statement quoted by WTVR that Dominion Energy Virginia has served the Commonwealth for more than a century and would continue to serve customers in Richmond under local leadership and full State Corporation Commission oversight.

The utility also asserted that the combined company would be better positioned to finance and build the energy infrastructure needed to meet Virginia's unprecedented growth "reliably and affordably."

NextEra, however, declined to answer WTVR's questions after multiple requests.

"At some point, if these rates continue to go up, I don't want to have to make a choice between feeding, clothing, or electricity. You know, and what happens to other families that are in worse situations than I am, or households that are in worse situations?" Arnett said. "What are they going to do? I mean, at some point, we're going to have a lot of Virginians living in the dark."

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