Demand for energy in Virginia is expected to double over the next 15 years. Christopher Miller, president at the Piedmont Environmental Council, says that’s driven by Dominion Energy creating a crisis by contract.
"They're negotiating in private with large data center operators or developers," Miller says, "and then using those contracts as the basis for future demand projections that they would like all of us as ratepayers to pay for."
Tim Cywinsky at the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter says Big Tech is responsible for the increase in demand, and they should pick up the tab.
"Dominion's relationship with the tech industry is not built on protecting ratepayers," Cywinsky argues. "Its foundation is maximizing profits through an excuse for building new fossil fuel plants, and data centers give them that excuse."
Several new natural gas power plants are part of Dominion’s plan for the next 15 years. Aaron Ruby at Dominion Energy says renewable energy is not reliable enough to meet all the demand.
"That's why we need an all-of-the-above approach that is basically renewables plus carbon-free nuclear plus always-reliable natural gas that's going to provide backup power when renewables are not producing electricity," Ruby says.
The Virginia Clean Economy Act calls for carbon-free energy by 2045, although Dominion could ask regulators for permission to keep using fossil fuel plants beyond 2045 if they are needed for reliability.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
