Dominion’s 20-year plan projects higher bills, new solar farms and natural gas plants

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Dominion Energy customers can expect higher bills over the next two decades, according a new report the company filed with the SCC.

Dominion Energy is required to produce it’s Integrated Resource Plan once a year.

“Essentially a twenty year roadmap on how we are going to meet our growing demand,” Dominion spokesperson Jeremy Slayton said.

Dominion reports the average bill for a residential customer using 1,000 kWh is currently $180.31.

The company projects that will be $258.03 by 2036, and $283.65 by 2046.

Dominion told 12 On Your Side that increase is consistent with normal inflation.

The methodology based on requirements set by the SCC, shows that bill increasing to $458.22 by 2046, though Dominion has repeatedly asserted that methodology results in “overstated bill projections.”

The report also details how Dominion plans to get the additional energy it says it will need.

“In our preferred plan we have about a little over 39 gigawatts of new power generation,” Slayton said.

That includes a little more than 21 GW of new solar energy and almost 9 gigawatts of natural gas. The remaining amount is split up between wind, storage, and nuclear.

When asked how much of that energy is needed for data centers, Slayton said data centers are one factor.

“So is population growth, so is increased electrification, and growing manufacturing facilities in the Commonwealth,” Slayton said.

By 2045, Dominion Energy must use all renewable or carbon-free energy.

Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, an environmental advocacy group, said ideally, it would like to see Dominion retire old fossil fuel and gas plants, and invest in more clean energy sources.

“It’s important for us to transition to clean energy sources like solar and wind to not only protect our climate from climate change and rising temperatures, but also for us to protect our health,” said Connor Eppley of Virginia Interfaith Power and Light.

Now that Dominion has filed the report with the SCC, state regulators are reviewing it.

In response to higher inflation, Dominion said it is offering new cost-saving tools, including free home energy efficiency upgrades.