Virginia governor says she will file documentation to intervene Dominion-NextEra merger

By Katha Kalia

Aug 6 (Reuters) – Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger said on Thursday she would intervene in the regulatory review of NextEra Energy’s proposed $66.8 billion ​merger with Dominion Energy to press for commitments ‌on electric bill affordability, job protections and clean-energy investments.

The governor said she would formally become a party to the case before the Virginia State Corporation Commission, giving her access to filings ‌and ​the ability to raise questions ⁠and concerns about the ⁠transaction.

“They’re not sufficient yet, which is one of the reasons why I’ve chosen to intervene in the case. Because I need a lot more details.”

The ​companies announced the plan to merge in May with the aim to form one of the ⁠world’s largest electric utilities during ⁠an expansion of energy-intensive data centers.

“The action ​of actually formally intervening, it is an unprecedented one. ​As a governor, I do acknowledge that,” Spanberger ‌said, adding that “the size and scope of this merger application is also unprecedented.”

The deal, which is pending approvals, will create the third-biggest U.S. energy company, behind ⁠oil majors Exxon and Chevron , and an entity with an enterprise value topping the next two largest U.S. power companies combined.

Spanberger ⁠said she ‌was not seeking to take the ⁠decision out of regulators’ hands, noting that “the ​decision ‌to approve or deny…that authority still lies ​with the ⁠SCC”.

The governor also said that as a party to the proceeding, she has the “ability to take legal action once there’s a decision made”.

(Reporting by Katha Kalia and Anjana Anil in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel ​and Shreya Biswas)