Could a $4.8B clause be a windfall to Virginia ratepayers?

November 10, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

Dominion Energy Virginia CEO Ed Baine (left) and NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum (center) speak during a "fireside chat" at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Forum on Infrastructure on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Richmond. *Patrick Larsen / VPM News*

A termination fee in the proposed NextEra and Dominion deal calls for a hefty payout from the Florida-based energy giant if the merger fails. One energy expert thinks Dominion should take the money and run.

Soaring electric bills, energy demand a top concern for Virginians

September 24, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

As regulators consider a proposed NextEra and Dominion merger, a new poll shows growing anxiety among voters

Dominion ratepayers on the hook again as give turns into take

September 1, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

Ice from Winter Storm Fern clings to power lines in Tennessee on January 25, 2026. The storm brought extended subzero temperatures and ice to the Mid-Atlantic for more than a week, causing energy consumption to spike. *Photo by Reuters Connect*

Virginia’s largest utility is asking regulators to OK a long-term plan to recoup costs for high fuel prices. The new charges could wipe out a proposed customer rebate from a NextEra acquisition.

Could a Dominion-NextEra marriage be bad news for rooftop solar?

August 18, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

*A worker installs rooftop solar panels on a home in Northern Virginia. (Image via Shutterstock)*

Both energy giants have a history of trying to make small, independent solar projects more costly for homeowners and businesses.

Virginia energy watchdogs urge caution as Dominion-NextEra deal moves ahead

June 8, 2026 Elizabeth McGowan

Tony Smith, CEO of Secure Solar Futures at his office in Staunton, Monday, June 8, 2026. *Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ*

Advocates for consumers and clean energy see opportunities – and risks – to remake energy policy and practice in Virginia

Virginia’s nuclear disaster plan is extensive, but key online resources 404

January 9, 2020 Chris Tyree

Color photograph of the Three Mile Island nuclear generating station, which suffered a partial meltdown in 1979. The reactors are in the smaller domes with rounded tops (the large smokestacks are just cooling towers).

A detailed web of PDFs released in response to a request for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s nuclear disaster response plans contains hundreds of pages of information about how the Commonwealth will handle a nuclear emergency, ranging from meltdown to dirty bomb to accidental weapon explosion.

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