Tag: Dominion
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Dominion Vies to Become Sustainability Leader — at What Cost?
by James A. Bacon Dominion Energy is aggressively positioning itself as a leader among U.S. electric utilities in renewable energy and environmental stewardship. Whether the shift in strategic direction will win it any friends among Democrats and environmentalists who increasingly dominate Virginia politics is an open question. The environmental wing of the Democratic Party of…
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Dominion Has Lost the Dems. What’s Next?
Dominion Energy is fast losing the Democratic Party. Following the lead of dozens of Democratic candidates and elected officials, the Democratic Party of Virginia has declared that it will no long accept political contributions from the electric utility. Reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Party Chairwoman Susan Swecker said Dominion’s contributions are a “very contentious issue with…
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Dominion’s Move Against Green Competitors Fails
by Steve Haner The verdict is in and green energy virtue in Virginia’s electricity market remains available in monthly increments. You do not need to be green twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, tracking every change of demand. That was the requirement demanded by Dominion Energy Virginia in its recent effort to block…
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More Restrictions Proposed for Culpeper Solar Farms
by James A. Bacon Culpeper County prohibits construction of solar farms on Civil War battlefields. Now a proposal under consideration by the Board of Supervisors would discourage large solar projects adjacent to battlefield land held in historic easement, reports the Culpeper Star-Exponent. And that restriction is just one of many changes to the county’s Utility…
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Tweet First, Check Your Notes Later
by Steve Haner It doesn’t matter what you say, only what they say you said. This was demonstrated once again this morning as the State Corporation Commission’s hearing on Dominion Energy Virginia’s profit margin unfolded in Richmond courtroom. While Dominion’s lead attorney droned on in his opening statement, Sarah Vogelsong of Virginia Mercury – doing…
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Just Pretending To Protect Ratepayers Won’t Cut It
by Steve Haner If you have nothing substantive to offer, try some meaningless virtue signaling. That’s the only way to interpret a claim from 36 General Assembly Democrats that they are taking steps to oppose “Dominion raising Virginian’s energy bills by $147 million,” to quote a Blue Virginia headline today. The story reports on a…
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“De-Risking” Offshore Wind
by James A. Bacon In its original incarnation a few years back, the two-turbine wind project Dominion Energy proposed to build off the Virginia Beach coast was billed as a “research” project. In the hope of winning a $40 million federal research grant, Dominion wanted to see how well the two wind turbines held up…
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Dominion: Two Reports, Four Predictions
by Steve Haner There is no sign, nine weeks out from the big General Assembly election, that the arcane and obscure field of electricity regulation is going to change any votes or win any elections in Virginia in 2019. There is plenty to debate if anybody wanted to in two recent reports now public at…
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Dominion Must Move Customers To Competitors
by Steve Haner The State Corporation Commission Wednesday granted motions by two competitive service providers and ordered Dominion Energy Virginia to hand over various customers. The two companies, Direct Energy Business LLC and Calpine Energy Solutions LLC, offer a 100 percent renewable energy option in the monopoly utility’s territory. “The Commission has found that: (a)…
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Fungible (and Vintage?) Green Virtue, For A Fee
by Steve Haner Like most major electric utilities now, Dominion Energy Virginia has a certain amount of energy generated by processes now designated “renewable.” Hydro power has been around for a long time, and now that is supplemented by a growing number of solar generators – owned by the company or under contract to it.…
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What Does Dominion Lose When Customers Leave?
When you use a competitive service provider (CSP) instead of the monopoly electricity company, what does the monopoly provider stop collecting? Just what part of the electric bill are big customers such as Costco and Kroger and Walmart seeking to avoid by leaving Dominion Energy Virginia? The answer is most of it, everything covered under…
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Dominion Protecting Renewable Energy Buyers?!
Dominion Energy Virginia is simply trying to protect the unsuspecting public from environmental fraudsters, you understand. Companies like Costco Wholesale and The Kroger Company lack the energy expertise to decide for themselves if a competitive service provider really is providing 100 percent renewable energy. They are being denied that service by Dominion for their own…
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$7 More on Dominion Bills for Transmission
Electricity bills for Dominion Energy Virginia customers jump again in September – almost $7 monthly for a residential customer using 1000 kilowatt hours – as it begins to collect on $845 million in transmission system investments over the past year. A similar level of investment is planned for next year. The rate hike will appear…
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New Industrial Rate Still Challenged By Microsoft
A hearing on Dominion Energy Virginia’s proposal for a new market-based electricity rate for its largest customers opened Thursday with the announcement it had settled its differences with the State Corporation Commission staff and that part of the dispute was over. (The case file is here.) As the SCC staff lined up with the utility,…
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New Front In Dominion’s War Against Competition
Dominion Energy Virginia has opened a new and aggressive front in its economic war against companies seeking to offer Virginians retail choice for electricity service, directly attacking two firms promising 100 percent renewable energy to lure away environmentally minded customers. In separate filings on July 15, the utility charged that both Direct Energy Services LLC…