Skip to content
voltsdaily

Friday, 3 July 2026

21 briefs so farlast update 18:51 UTC

Key points

  • Antares Mark-0 Reaches Criticality at Idaho Lab Ahead of Trump July 4 Target.
  • China's May Refining Runs Hit Near Four-Year Low as Power Demand Climbs.
  • Japan Drafts Plan to Replace Up to 14 Nuclear Reactors by the 2050s.
  • Wiki-Solar Puts Large-Scale Solar at 1,008 GWac, Past One Terawatt.
All sectionsMarketsClimateRenewablesGrid & StorageOil & GasGenerationTransport

Markets

NextEra Energy Agrees $66.8 Billion Purchase of Dominion Energy

NextEra Energy announced on May 18, 2026 that it would buy Dominion Energy for USD 66.8 billion, a deal that would form the largest electric utility in the United States, according to The Conversation.

The Conversation reported that the driver behind this deal and similar mergers is rising demand for power to data centers running artificial intelligence systems, together with a desire to increase corporate profits, rather than any increase in residential electricity demand.

Around 70% of U.S. households get their electricity from private companies, according to The Conversation. In 28 states, electricity markets are traditionally regulated, meaning the utility operates as a monopoly that owns what it needs to make electricity, while the other 22 states are considered deregulated markets, The Conversation reported.

In regulated states, prices are set by a state regulator so the utility can earn a profit on its system investments, at a margin that is generally around 10%, according to The Conversation.

In 14 of the deregulated states, a middleman company buys the power and competes to find customers, providing households with a choice of electricity providers, The Conversation reported.

Source: theconversation.com (opens in a new tab)1 sourcePermalink

High voltage transmission towers and power lines stretching across open countryside at dusk, representing U.S. electric utility infrastructure.
Photo: Brett Sayles / Pexels (opens in a new tab)