A proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy raises new possibilities and further questions in the race to match Virginia’s booming energy demand.
NextEra, which seeks to create the world’s largest regulated electric utility business through the $67 billion acquisition, has framed the plan as a path toward reducing energy costs in an era of rising need, driven in part by the construction of new data centers to power AI.
NextEra Energy is seeking to acquire Dominion Energy in an all-stock deal valued at about $67 billion, creating a massive power company as the energy needs of artificial intelligence drive demand higher in the U.S.
It is one of the biggest proposed mergers so far this year and would create the world’s biggest regulated electric utility business by market capitalization, the companies said on Monday.
County Board members have approved new rooftop solar panels at four more county buildings, including Central Library.
Collectively, the installations are anticipated to save the county government about $850,000 in utility costs over a 25-year period.
High-than-usual electric bills in Virginia this winter have prompted discussion about the role data centers could play in driving up costs.
Dominion Energy, the commonwealth’s largest electric utility company, has said that new rates in 2026 and unusually cold weather could be responsible for many customers’ higher bills.
Increasing power demand from a growing number of data centers, many located in Northern Virginia, has made rising utility costs a key issue for Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) in her first days in office.
In her first address to the Virginia General Assembly yesterday (Monday), Spanberger outlined her Affordable Virginia Agenda, a set of proposals addressing energy, health care and housing costs. Spanberger also issued an executive order on her first day in office that directs her cabinet members and agencies to identify policy changes that would reduce costs for Virginians in energy and other areas.
Nearly 12,000 homes and businesses were without power throughout Arlington and Falls Church on Thursday after a destructive thunderstorm ripped through the area.
Dominion reported outages affecting 10,859 customers in Arlington and 946 customers in the City of Falls Church, as of 5 p.m. The outages extended from Crystal City and Fairlington to a higher concentration in Arlington’s northern neighborhoods.
Thousands are again without power in Pentagon City and Crystal City.
Nearly 7,400 homes and businesses were in the dark as of 1:30 p.m., according to Dominion’s website. The outage extends from Crystal City and Pentagon City to the Aurora Highlands and Foxcroft Heights neighborhoods, according to scanner traffic and the power company’s map.
Power is out in the Pentagon City area, though it’s not clear why.
The outage, extending a several block radius around the Pentagon City Metro station, started around 2:30-3 p.m. today.
The Arlington County Board has joined a chorus of regional voices asking Dominion Energy to be more judicious in tree removal efforts.
The Board unanimously voted on Tuesday in support of a resolution calling on the energy company to avoid draconian efforts to manage the landscape along Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Regional Park and adjoining power lines.
Eagle-eyed Arlingtonians might have noticed that a Dominion Energy substation in the Ballston area is called, strangely enough, the Clarendon substation, while it’s vice versa for another substation down the street.
A substation is a part of an electrical grid that enables electricity to be transmitted at different voltages. Dominion Energy’s Ballston substation at 3241 Wilson Blvd is near Clarendon, just west of Northside Social.
More than 3,000 homes and businesses were without power Sunday evening amid continued strong winds.
As of 5:30 p.m., Dominion reported 3,087 customers without power in Arlington County. That number had been growing as gusty winds fell trees and branches around the area.
Nearly 5,000 homes and businesses in parts of Arlington are without power this morning.
The outages are primarily affecting neighborhoods along and north of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, according to a Dominion outage map. As of just before 9 a.m. Tuesday, the utility company said 4,866 customers were affected in Arlington.
