Virginia wants to kill Dominion/​NextEra merger

Merger update: After a series of hearings, the Virginia State Corporation Commission recommends rejecting the $67 billion merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy unless the utilities agree to dozens of service and ratepayer protection conditions. Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has also demanded the utilities freeze rates and triple monthly bill credits as a condition of the deal. (VPM, WAVY)

And another complication: Newly uncovered documents revealNextEra Energy gave $4 million to President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom reconstruction project last year. Public advocates warn it’ll likely pull the administration in favor of the utility’s merger with Dominion. (Washington Post, Utility Dive)

Big Tech’s latest utility deal: Google announces a $600 million deal with Entergy Arkansas to fund grid infrastructure upgrades and a power purchase agreement that’ll serve an expansion of the tech giant’s West Memphis data center. Google’s purchase includes power from two planned battery storage projects and an under-construction solar farm. (Arkansas Business)

Tiptoeing toward transition: Tech giants and large corporations that want 24/7 carbon-free electricity in North Carolina may finally have a solution. While Duke Energy isn’t required to have a 100% clean energy supply until 2050, the utility says it will begin negotiations early next year on a clean transition tariff that would help large customers secure carbon-free power at a premium. (Canary Media)

Solar squabble: York County, North Carolina, and Silfab Solar have filed civil lawsuits against each other, each looking for clarifications as Silfab prepares to begin manufacturing solar cells as soon as this week. Silfab has faced local pushback over its use of chemicals, its proximity to schools, and other concerns. (Queen City News, Charlotte Observer)

USDA funds a gas plant: The U.S. Department of Agriculture announces a $3.3 billion loan to help member-owned nonprofit utility Oglethorpe Power build a gas power plant in Georgia. For now, the power will go to the utility’s co-op members, though it could eventually be used for nearby data center projects. (news release, Georgia Public Broadcasting)

Data centers: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered a total halt to data center permitting last month, but a watchdog group finds the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality continued processing permits in the following weeks. An Abbott official contends the pause only applied to permit approvals, not other actions. (Inside Climate News)

Election insights: Next month, Alabamians will elect two new members to the three-person state Public Service Commission, which regulates electric utilities. Still, the Gov. Kay Ivey’s (R) recent move to expand the PSC to seven members will dilute these new officials’ power. (Alabama Reflector)

Two new gas plants: Entergy Texas brings online a 1.2-GW natural gas power plant in Orange County, and tells customers they’ll see a new charge on their bill to recoup the cost of building the facility. A court has meanwhile allowed the Tennessee Valley Authority to continue building a gas plant to replace a coal facility in the face of challenges from conservation groups. (Houston Chronicle, Bloomberg Law)

One more Dominion update: Dominion Energy plans to build 21 GW of solar, 3.5 GW of battery storage, 9 GW of natural gas, 3.3 GW of wind, and 2 GW of small modular reactors over the next 20 years, according to its latest filing with the State Corporation Commission. (Virginia Mercury)