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Virginia

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Oct 20, 2026

By the Virginia Solar Editorial Team

Dominion and NextEra Want to Merge. Here's What Virginia Homeowners Should Know.

SCC staff, Gov. Spanberger, and Attorney General Jay Jones all oppose the Dominion-NextEra merger as proposed. Here's what that means for your bill, your solar, and your voice.

Illustration of two power transmission towers whose lines join over a cluster of Virginia homes with rooftop solar, with a domed capitol building and balance scales behind them.

Dominion and NextEra Want to Merge. Here's What Virginia Homeowners Should Know.

Dominion Energy, which serves more than 2.5 million Virginia customers, has agreed to combine with Florida-based NextEra Energy. Virginia regulators have the final say. On October 19 and 20, the state's top officials and the SCC's own staff weighed in, and none of them support the deal as proposed.

Nothing has been decided yet.

The Short Version

On October 19, State Corporation Commission (SCC) staff recommended denying the merger unless the companies accept 57 binding conditions.
Gov. Spanberger wants a six-year freeze on base residential rates and $29 monthly bill credits for four years. Without those and other commitments, she says the SCC should reject the deal.
Attorney General Jay Jones opposes the merger outright. His Division of Consumer Counsel, Virginia's official ratepayer advocate at the SCC, asked the SCC to deny it.
The companies are offering a $10 monthly bill credit for a typical home for four years, and say customers won't pay merger costs. That's still only a proposal.
Your net metering terms aren't part of this deal. The governor did ask the SCC to recommend that lawmakers remove the net metering cap.
You can weigh in. Written comments are due by November 12.

Timeline: How We Got Here and What's Next

May 18, 2026: The deal is announced.
July 15: The companies ask the SCC for approval (Case No. PUR-2026-00112).
July 21: The SCC sets hearings and takes the maximum review time allowed.
August: Gov. Spanberger joins the case, a first for a Virginia governor.
September 3: Shareholders vote to approve the deal.
September 14: The companies sweeten their offer.
October 7 and 9: The SCC holds local public hearings in Newport News and Fairfax County.
October 19: SCC staff, the governor, and the attorney general's Consumer Counsel file testimony.
October 20: Attorney General Jones releases a video statement opposing the merger.
November 2–12: Public input period (details below).
November 17: The SCC's evidentiary hearing begins.
Mid-January 2027: The SCC's decision is due.
Second half of 2027: Expected closing, if approved.

The deal also needs approval from North Carolina and South Carolina regulators, FERC, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and federal antitrust review.

What the Companies Originally Proposed, and How It Changed

In this all-stock deal, Dominion shareholders would get 0.8138 NextEra shares per share, plus part of a one-time $360 million cash payment. Dominion Energy Virginia would stay a Richmond-based utility with rates set by the SCC.

The original offer (July):

$2.25 billion in shareholder-funded bill credits across Virginia and the Carolinas over two years, with about $1.78 billion going to Virginia
About $10 per month for a typical home using 1,000 kWh, for two years
Customers held harmless from merger costs, including the acquisition premium
Richmond as a dual headquarters and 18 months of job protection

The revised offer (September 14):

The $10 monthly residential credit extended to four years, paid for mostly by shifting credits away from large data centers
Keeping Dominion's 10,431 Virginia jobs for at least five years, plus 600 new NextEra jobs in Virginia
$100 million for low-income energy assistance through 2038

There's no rate freeze in the companies' offer.

What SCC Staff Says Now

SCC staff advise the three commissioners but don't decide. Their October 19 testimony concluded the merger as filed fails Virginia's legal test: whether "adequate service to the public at just and reasonable rates will not be impaired or jeopardized."

Staff's main concern is exposure to the risks of NextEra's unregulated businesses. Their 57 conditions include 25 the companies already offered, plus:

A protected holding company ("ring-fencing") to shield Dominion Energy Virginia if NextEra ran into financial trouble
Four Dominion Energy Virginia board members who aren't affiliated with NextEra
No NextEra ownership of future transmission projects in Dominion's Virginia territory
Some workforce protections extended to 10 years

Staff kept the four-year credit as a condition but said it isn't a persuasive reason to approve.

What Gov. Spanberger Is Asking For

Her testimony says the SCC should reject the merger unless these are substantially addressed:

A six-year freeze on base residential rates
Tripled bill credits: $29 per month for four years
A lower allowed return for the utility and a smaller share of costs on residential customers, with data centers covering their own energy costs
Stronger protections against disconnection
A recommendation to the General Assembly to eliminate the net metering cap
Enforceable penalties if the companies break their promises

What the Attorney General Says

Attorney General Jay Jones goes further: he opposes the merger outright. On October 19, his Division of Consumer Counsel filed testimony from Dr. Maria Roumpani of Current Energy Group recommending denial. Her main findings:

Claimed benefits are unsupported. Beyond the bill credits, she says, the companies haven't quantified, planned for, or committed to any benefit.
Customers could become a backstop. Dominion buys power in the regional PJM market, where NextEra affiliates sell. She warns Virginia customers could absorb risk from NextEra's merchant power business.
More expensive building. She says the merger would strengthen a preference for capital-heavy, utility-built projects over lower-cost options like energy efficiency.
No plan for the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), the law that most shapes Dominion's future power mix.
No condition can fully fix it. Conditions could limit the risks, she says, but couldn't ensure the merger won't jeopardize just and reasonable rates.

In an October 20 video, Jones said the deal "won't help with costs" or Virginia's "foundational problems": an overworked grid, rising demand, and high costs.

The companies' response: They haven't accepted any of these conditions. In a joint statement, they said the deal would deliver more than $2.1 billion in near-term customer and community benefits and 1,000 new jobs, and that they'll address the issues "through the Commission's established process."

Side by Side

What It Means for Homeowners and Solar Owners

Your bill: A credit would lower bills for a few years. Supporters say a bigger company could borrow and build more cheaply; critics worry about long-term risks. No one knows yet how rates will turn out.

Solar owners and shoppers:

Existing net metering customers keep their current terms, set in a separate SCC case. The merger petition doesn't propose changing them.
NEM 2.0 still begins May 1, 2027 for new net metering applications.
The 6% net metering cap remains. The governor wants it removed, but only the General Assembly can do that.

Why this connects to rooftop solar: The attorney general's expert flagged two open questions: who pays for data center growth, and how Dominion meets the VCEA. When homeowners worry those costs could land on their bills, some consider producing part of their own power. Solar doesn't freeze rates, but it reduces how much you buy. Whether it pencils out depends on your home, usage, and quote.

If someone says "sign before the merger changes everything," be skeptical. The merger doesn't change your solar math today.

How to Weigh In Before the SCC Decides

Any Virginian can comment on the merger in Case No. PUR-2026-00112. You don't need a lawyer, and you don't need an opinion on every detail. Here's the SCC's schedule as of October 30, 2026 (all times Eastern):

By November 2: Sign up to speak during the phone sessions, using the SCC's public witness form or by calling (804) 371-9141. Each phone witness gets five minutes.
November 5, 8:30 to 11 a.m.: Public comment by phone.
November 5, 2 to 5 p.m.: Public comment in person in the SCC's second-floor courtroom, 1300 East Main St., Richmond. Comments are limited to two minutes.
November 9 and 10, 4 to 7 p.m.: Public comment by phone.
November 12: Last day to submit a written comment online. No sign-up is needed.
November 17, 10 a.m.: The SCC's evidentiary hearing begins in Richmond. The SCC lists it for audio webcast.
By January 11, 2027: The SCC's decision is due, under the maximum 180-day review period it set in July.

Written comments go into the case record just like spoken ones. In a September order, one commissioner wrote that a comment made in person carries no more or less weight than one made by phone or in writing. If you can't make a session, a short written comment explaining how the decision would affect your household still counts.

Updates and the full schedule are on the SCC's merger page.

Final Thoughts

Everything on the table is still a proposal or a recommendation. The three SCC commissioners will decide.

Follow the case, share your view, and don't let headlines rush your energy decisions. If you're weighing a solar quote, we'll give you an honest second opinion.

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