As of October 6, 2026, Virginia state lieutenant governor Ghazala Hashmi, D, stated NextEra’s planned acquisition of Dominion Energy is not in the best interest of Virginians, after summarizing her findings from a five-city public listening tour. [1] The tour stopped in Norfolk, Richmond, Charlottesville, Roanoke, and Loudon county, which houses the world’s largest concentration of data centers. Hashmi expressed in the report that she is concerned the merger would pose a risk to Virginians due to NextEra’s thousands of “individual project entities, many in businesses far riskier than a regulated utility.” In addition, she expressed concern about NextEra’s plan to lean into serving data center growth in Dominion’s footprint, citing both the cost and the potential for stranded assets if projected demand does not materialize, leaving more of the burden on residential customers. The report preceded the State Corporation Commission’s first local hearing on the pending merger on October 7, 2026, and is the most formal expression of opposition from Virginia’s executive branch yet.
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Your Custom Text Here