弗吉尼亚州州长阿比盖尔·斯潘伯格表示，除非实施住宅电价六年冻结并将账单抵免额提高三倍，否则她不会支持NextEra能源公司对多米尼恩能源公司670亿美元的收购。
Governor Abigail Spanberger won’t support NextEra Energy Inc.’s $67 billion takeover of Dominion Energy Inc. without a six-year freeze on residential power rates and a tripling of bill credits.
斯潘伯格还要求承诺降低能源成本、防止客户断电，并加大对能源效率和清洁能源的投资。她的意见已于周一作为合并审查的一部分提交给州监管机构。
Spanberger also is demanding commitments to lower energy costs, protect against customer disconnections and boost investment in energy-efficiency and clean energy. Her comments were filed with state regulators as part of the merger review Monday.
“任何涉及弗吉尼亚州主要州管制公用事业公司的并购提案都必须惠及家庭、小企业和弗吉尼亚州劳动力 — — 而不仅仅是这些价值数十亿美元的公司的股东，”斯潘伯格表示。NextEra和多米尼恩均未立即回应置评请求。
“Any proposed merger involving Virginia’s primary state-regulated utility must benefit families, small businesses, and Virginia’s workforce — not just the shareholders of these multibillion-dollar corporations,” Spanberger said. Neither NextEra nor Dominion immediately responded to requests for comment.
8月份，这位首次当选的民主党人表示，她对该交易是否能惠及弗吉尼亚人持“深度怀疑”态度，并指出她正专注于能源可负担性、就业和清洁能源目标等问题。
In August, the first-term Democrat said she was “deeply skeptical” about whether the deal would benefit Virginians, noting she was focused on issues such as energy affordability, jobs and clean energy goals.
此次交易若完成，将打造全国最大的公用事业公司，但正面临州官员的反对。这些官员担心在数据中心快速建设的背景下，垄断势力和公用事业账单上升将带来问题。本月早些时候，弗吉尼亚州副州长加扎拉·哈希米表示她反对该交易，称其未能为用电者提供“实质性”保护。
The transaction, which would create the nation’s largest utility, is facing opposition from state officials concerned about monopoly power and rising utility bills amid a rapid buildout of data centers. Earlier this month, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashimi said she was opposed to the deal, saying it offered no “substantial” protections for ratepayers.
弗吉尼亚州的审查是NextEra收购多米尼恩的关键障碍。多米尼恩总部位于该州，并运营该州最大的公用事业公司。该交易还需获得联邦监管机构以及北卡罗来纳州和南卡罗来纳州官员的批准。
Virginia’s review is a critical hurdle for NextEra’s bid for Dominion, which is headquartered in the state and operates its largest utility. The companies also will need approvals from federal regulators and officials in North Carolina and South Carolina.
上个月，NextEra和多米尼恩提出将弗吉尼亚州住宅客户每月10美元的账单抵免期限从两年延长至四年，以促进交易获批。
NextEra and Dominion last month offered to extend a $10-a-month residential bill credit in Virginia to four years from two in a bid to smooth approval of the deal.
两家公司还表示，他们计划通过2038年将客户账单援助计划增加1亿美元，以保护客户免受人工智能热潮相关成本的影响，在该州创造1000个新岗位，并建设更多清洁能源和储能设施。
The companies also said they plan to boost a customer bill assistance program by $100 million through 2038, shield customers from costs associated with the AI boom, create 1,000 new jobs in the state and build more clean energy and battery storage.
周一是干预并购审查的各方向弗吉尼亚州公司委员会提交意见的截止日期。监管机构将于下个月就该交易举行听证会，预计将在1月作出决定。
Monday was the deadline for parties intervening in the merger review to file comments with the Virginia State Corporation Commission. The regulator body will hold hearings on the deal next month with a decision expected in January.
NextEra在大型公用事业收购方面的记录参差不齐，其收购夏威夷和得克萨斯州公用事业的尝试均告失败。
NextEra has a mixed record with large utility acquisitions, with attempts to buy utilities in Hawaii and Texas failing.