Stop Dominion's Monopoly on Electricity
Dominion is eager for regulators to approve its proposed 100% renewable energy tariff, after submitting the plan in May of 2019 as some of its largest customers tried to leave its service.
High costs and the lack of existing 100% renewable energy options in Virginia have driven large customers to seek exit from Dominion's service.
The utility urged the SCC to issue an order approving the tariff, which would prevent other companies like Direct Energy and Calpine from signing up new customers for their 100% renewable service. Virginia is a regulated state, and customers that wanted to receive all renewable energy were allowed to exit Dominion's service if they could not get that from the utility itself.
Walmart wrote in its Monday response Adams' report failed to take into account the rates of other competitive service providers offering 100% renewable energy, although Direct Energy offered live testimony in the proceeding on competitive pricing.
"[R]ather than needing to offer a product that charges a premium above standard service — as Dominion proposes here — customers should be able to pay less than standard service to receive 100% renewable power," Walmart wrote in its response.
Walmart and other stakeholders also commented that the tariff cannot be for a 100% renewable offering if it includes coal-burning units.
Dominion's proposal for a 100% renewable energy tariff has stirred up controversy by including the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC), a coal-fired power plant that burns biomass as 7% of its output. The utility includes VCHEC in the renewable package under a Virginia statute that legally defines "renewable energy" as an electric power plant that generates a certain proportion of energy by burning biomass.