Under the Biden administration, electric utilities were required to report how often they disconnected customers when they failed to pay for service, and a new report from the Energy Policy Institute shows Virginia’s largest provider of power – Dominion – pulled the plug on 15 households for every hundred customers in 2024. Shelby Green speaks for the Institute.
“Dominion actually ranks pretty high on that list nationally -- fourth nationwide for investor-owned utilities in terms of residential electric disconnections according to this new data.”
Even higher on the list is NextEra – the parent company of Florida Power and Light which ranks second in the nation, cutting power to 1.2 million households in 2024 when they failed to pay their bills. Green says that happened despite the company’s strong earnings.
“Florida Power and Light – profited over $5 billion last year. They’re on of the most profitable utilities in the entire country.”
As it happens, NextEra wants to buy Dominion and could make that request next week. It will need approval from the State Corporation Commission, and the Energy Policy Institute argues Virginia’s regulators should just say no. Many elected officials are also opposed.
“Lt. Governor Hashmi has written a letter requesting additional information from these companies before they submit their acquisition application," Green says, "so that could change the timeline.”
In the meantime, Dominion says it reaches out numerous times over several months to let people know their billing status and offers help for those struggling to pay. The firm claims disconnection is always a last resort, and the vast majority of customers are reconnected the same day, many within minutes.
