Dominion | ARLnow.com

Sen. Warner backs bill to curb data centers’ impacts on electricity prices

Published June 3, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated June 3, 2026 at 5:39PM

CoreSite’s Reston data center campus (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is throwing support behind legislation intended to address the impacts of data centers on rising prices of electricity for Virginia residents.

The Power for the People Act, which Warner is co-sponsoring, aims to address cost and reliability issues associated with data centers’ power needs. The legislation directs states to look into new rate classes for data centers, seeks a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rule to ensure data centers are paying for infrastructure upgrades that would not be otherwise needed, and seeks to increase accountability in local electricity infrastructure.

News

Dominion Energy’s merger plan sharpens affordability questions for N. Va. lawmakers

By Dan Egitto

Published May 27, 2026 at 3:45PM

Dominion Energy truck (staff photo)

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.

News

Dominion announces merger with NextEra, creating a massive power company as AI drives energy demand in the US

By The Associated Press

Published May 18, 2026 at 9:25AM | Updated May 18, 2026 at 10:33AM

FILE - A Dominion Energy lineman lifts himself up to work on a power line in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in North Augusta, S.C. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)

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.

News

Solar panels coming to Central Library and three other county facilities

By Scott McCaffrey

Published March 23, 2026 at 9:15AM

Workers installing solar panels (via Arlington DES)

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.

News

Winter electric bill spikes spark scrutiny of Va. data centers’ power usage

By Emily Leayman

Published February 27, 2026 at 10:00AM | Updated February 27, 2026 at 2:53PM

CoreSite’s Reston data center campus (staff photo by James Jarvis)

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.

News

Gov. Spanberger targets utility bills, power demand amid data center boom in N. Va.

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press

Published January 20, 2026 at 1:45PM

CoreSite’s Reston data center campus (staff photo by James Jarvis)

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.

News

BREAKING: Nearly 12,000 without power in Arlington and Falls Church

By ARLnow.com

Published June 19, 2025 at 5:00PM | Updated June 21, 2025 at 1:45PM

Police on scene of trees and wires down along Washington Blvd in Ballston near W-L High School (staff photo)

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.

News

DEVELOPING: Another large power outage in Crystal City and Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Published April 4, 2025 at 1:40PM

Dominion outage map at 1:30 p.m. on April 4, 2025 (via Dominion)

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.

News

JUST IN: Thousands without power in Pentagon City area

By ARLnow.com

Published March 27, 2025 at 3:05PM

Map of power outage in Pentagon City (via Dominion)

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.

News

Dominion’s W&OD tree removal draws pushback from county, regional leaders

By Scott McCaffrey and Angela Woolsey

Published March 21, 2025 at 9:00AM

Tree stumps under Dominion Energy power lines along the W&OD Trail in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

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.

Around Town

Why are the Ballston and Clarendon substations seemingly in the wrong spots?

By Vernon Miles

Published March 18, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated March 18, 2025 at 4:04PM

The "Ballston Substation" at 3241 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

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.

News

JUST IN: Thousands without power in Arlington amid strong winds

By ARLnow.com

Published February 16, 2025 at 5:35PM | Updated February 17, 2025 at 12:24AM

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.