NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) has agreed to acquire rival Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) in an all-stock transaction valuing the Virginia-based utility’s equity at roughly US$67 billion.
The agreement, announced Monday (May 18), marks the fourth-largest transaction of all time across all sectors, according to LSEG data.
NextEra will pay the equivalent of nearly US$76 a share for Dominion, representing a 23 percent premium to Friday’s closing price. Including US$56.7 billion in assumed debt, the transaction carries an enterprise value of nearly US$124 billion.
The merger is a direct response to a tectonic shift in US power consumption. Driven by the explosive build-out of energy-intensive AI data centers, American utilities are struggling to meet demand.
According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, peak summer electricity demand is forecast to grow by 224 gigawatts (GW) over the next decade—the power needed to supply roughly 180 million homes.
“Electricity demand is rising faster than it has in decades,” NextEra Chief Executive Officer John Ketchum said, emphasizing that the merger occurs at “a historic moment” where “scale matters more than ever.”
The deal also strategically extends NextEra’s dominance beyond its home state of Florida, where it currently serves roughly 6 million customers. By absorbing Dominion, NextEra gains direct access to Dominion’s 3.6 million customers across the Carolinas and Virginia.
This places NextEra at the epicenter of “data center alley” in Northern Virginia, the beating heart of US digital infrastructure that handles roughly two-thirds of global internet traffic.
The combined entity will also control 110 GW of power generation, sourced from various sources such as natural gas, nuclear, wind, and solar. It will also inherit a pipeline of 130 GW of large-load requests from major energy consumers, primarily tech giants and hyperscalers.
NextEra anticipates closing the deal within 12 to 18 months, though market reactions suggest some investor skepticism regarding the regulatory timeline.
Shares of Dominion rose 14 percent in pre-market trading to just over US$70—well below the implied US$76 offer price—while NextEra shares slipped 1 percent after the announcement.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.