CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – While the 5th District’s current Congressional Representative, Republican John McGuire, said he is monitoring the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and Florida-based NextEra Energy, his opponent came out strongly opposed to the merger this week.

Tom Perriello, the Democratic nominee in the 5th District and a former Congressperson, released a statement Thursday evening arguing against the potential energy monopoly.

“These giant monopolies keep sticking Virginia families with higher bills, hidden costs, and horrendous transmission lines and data centers that communities clearly do not want,” said Perriello in a statement. “Monopolies corrupting our politics is a big part of what got Virginia into this mess, and handing even more power to a Florida monopoly is guaranteed to make things worse for our electric bills, our rural communities, and our ability to land the clean energy jobs of the future.”

For his part, McGuire said he too is concerned about what the merger could mean for Virginia’s energy bills.

“Virginia families and businesses are already paying more than they should to keep the lights on, and any decision about the future of our largest utility has to start and end with one question: what does it mean for the bills people pay every month?” McGuire said in a statement sent to Cville Right Now. “I will be watching closely to make sure this deal, like every decision about our energy future, puts Virginia ratepayers first. That means real protections against rate hikes, genuine accountability, and a firm commitment that the cost of powering data centers and new demand doesn’t get passed on to working families.

“My standard is simple: keep energy reliable, keep it affordable, and keep Virginians’ interests ahead of anyone else’s bottom line.”

The Perriello campaign noted that Perriello also opposes the proposed Valley Link transmission line and worked to block the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. It also criticized McGuire for taking campaign contributions from Dominion.

According to the Federal Election Commission’s website, McGuire has taken $5,000 in contributions from Dominion in the past 18 months. McGuire also took $3,500 from Dominion from 2017-2021, according to the Virginia Public Access Project website.

There is no record of Perriello taking money from Dominion in this campaign or his previous Congressional runs in 2008, when he won the 5th District seat, and in 2010, when he lost the spot to Republican Robert Hurt.

NextEra Energy is essentially seeking to acquire the Richmond-based Dominion in what would be a $67-billion merger, one that would create the world’s largest regulated electric utility company.  The new, combined company would serve about 10 million customers in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

NextEra would own just over 74% of the new company.

The merger still needs the approval of multiple state and federal regulators, including the State Corporation Commission in Virginia. Last month, Gov. Abigail Spanberger officially announced she would be intervening to join the SCC’s review, citing concerns about the impact on energy costs for Virginians and the possible loss of jobs in the Commonwealth. The SCC’s first hearing is scheduled for November.