Attorney General Tong Co-Leads Coalition Urging FERC to Reject NextEra-Dominion Merger

09/29/2026

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today co-led a coalition of state attorneys general and ratepayer advocates urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject the proposed merger between NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy to form a combined energy behemoth with unprecedented market power over energy generation in New England. The new combined company would be unprecedented in size, scope, and market penetration, increasing incentives for the company to drive up costs and strategically withhold energy resources to benefit its portfolio at the expense of ratepayers and states.

The transaction is being reviewed by FERC, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and also requires approval from the states of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

“The proposed merger is not in the public interest and poses significant threats to energy affordability, reliability, and competition,” the states argue.

If approved, the new company would operate the largest natural gas generation fleet in the country, be the second-largest nuclear operator nationally, and be the largest owner of renewable and battery storage assets. The proposed merger would create the world’s largest regulated electric utility by market capitalization. The combined entity would hold a dominant position in regions of the country experiencing the greatest data center development.

The combined company would own Seabrook Station in New Hampshire and Millstone Power Station in Connecticut, thus controlling 100 percent of New England’s nuclear generating capability. These units play a critical role in the reliability of the New England grid, which is heavily reliant on natural gas generation.

“The State Parties’ concerns about potential bad faith, anti-competitive behavior by the merged company go beyond speculation,” the protest states. Without these nuclear units, the New England grid would be vulnerable to rolling blackouts, with very few resources that could fill the void, the protest notes. Indeed, both companies have already shown willingness to leverage their physical and financial power in New England to enhance their bottom lines at the expense of the region’s ratepayers. Dominion has previously threatened to close the profitable Millstone nuclear plant in order to try to drive up state-backed contractual prices for its output, while NextEra spent tens of millions of dollars to try to block the New England Clean Energy Connect, a new hydro transmission line aimed at enhancing energy resilience in the region.

The states argue that the proposed merger exposes New England ratepayers to substantial risks without any discernable benefits, and that the merger is not in the public interest, is not consistent with FERC’s standards, and should be rejected.

The attorneys general of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island have all intervened in the FERC docket and joined today’s protest, along with the New Hampshire Office of the Consumer Advocate, Maine Office of the Public Advocate, Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel, and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The attorneys general of Connecticut and Massachusetts co-led the protest.

Assistant Attorneys General Jill Lacedonia, Chris Kelly, William Dornbos, John Wright and Caroline McCormack and Deputy Associate Attorney General Matthew Levine, Chief of the Environment Section assisted the Attorney General in this matter.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.