Virginia Wants 16 GW Of Storage, Dominion’s Latest Published Plan Offers 3.5 GW

Dominion Energy’s 2026 integrated resource plan models about 3.5 gigawatts of battery storage additions over the next 20 years, while a Virginia law signed in April requires the utility to seek approval for 16 GW of short-duration storage by 2045. The difference puts the focus on how Dominion will meet the state’s storage target, particularly as power demand grows in the data-center region it serves.

Dominion filed the plan on October 15. An integrated resource plan, or IRP, models possible future power-system needs and resource choices; its preferred portfolio is not the same as a completed construction schedule or final approval to build every resource. The preferred plan includes the initial storage requirements and selects additional additions based on cost, according to the report.

Virginia’s law requires Dominion to seek approval for 4 GW of short-duration storage by the end of 2030 and 16 GW by 2045. A separate requirement for 4 GW of long-duration energy storage depends on the State Corporation Commission finding that the technology is viable and the targets achievable. The commission has allowed Dominion to explore pilot projects using non-lithium technologies.

Storage is one part of a broader resource mix in Dominion’s preferred plan. It also models approximately 8.9 GW of new gas generation and 21 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity. The report describes these as modeled additions, not as a record of projects already operating.

Storage Plans and Rising Demand

The gap between the state target and the preferred portfolio matters because it leaves open how quickly additional storage will be proposed, approved and brought online. Batteries can store electricity and release it later, making them one option for balancing supply and demand. The plan’s modeled figures do not, by themselves, establish that Dominion has rejected the statutory target: Virginia’s law sets a requirement to seek approval, while the IRP is a planning document that models future choices.

The issue has added weight in a service area that includes Data Center Alley, a major concentration of data centers in Northern Virginia. Bloomberg estimated that more than 300 facilities in the region handle roughly half of global internet traffic each day, according to the source report. Those facilities require substantial electricity, but the material provided does not quantify how much of Dominion’s projected demand growth is attributable to them. The mix of storage, gas and solar could affect future infrastructure needs and customer costs; the plan alone does not establish what bills or emissions will result.

For customers and policymakers, the practical questions are what projects Dominion will seek approval for, when they could be built, and how the utility will reconcile its resource choices with the state’s targets. Those details are not settled by the preferred portfolio.

Virginia’s Storage Deadlines

Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the storage legislation in April 2026. It sets a phased short-duration storage target for Dominion, starting with 4 GW by the end of 2030 and reaching 16 GW by 2045. The separate long-duration target is conditional on a State Corporation Commission finding about technological viability and whether the targets can be achieved.

Dominion’s existing storage portfolio is smaller than the long-term statutory target. The source report says the company has approval for about 170 MW of company-owned battery projects, of which around 50 MW is operating. A further 459 MW has been approved through power-purchase agreements. These figures describe approved and operating capacity, while the IRP’s 3.5 GW figure describes modeled additions over two decades.

The plan has drawn criticism from the Southern Environmental Law Center. In an October 16 statement, the group said Dominion planned to build “just 3 gigawatts” of battery storage and argued that its proposed gas spending would raise concerns about emissions and customer bills. The report gives Dominion’s modeled figure as roughly 3.5 GW; the advocacy group’s rounded figure and its assessment of the plan are attributed claims, not independent findings about future bills or emissions.

“Dominion also plans to build just 3 gigawatts of battery storage, despite a law passed this year that requires Dominion to build nearly five times that amount of storage by 2045.”

— Southern Environmental Law Center

How the Target Will Be Met

The available material does not explain how Dominion expects to bridge the difference between the 3.5 GW modeled in its preferred plan and the statutory 16 GW short-duration target, or whether additional storage could appear in later plan updates. It also does not specify project locations, procurement schedules, construction costs or the amount of storage that would be built by each milestone beyond the 2030 requirement.

The status of the conditional long-duration target is also unresolved: it depends on a State Corporation Commission determination about viability and achievability. The source does not give a timetable for that decision. Nor does it provide a detailed forecast of how the preferred portfolio would affect customer bills, emissions, reliability or the share of demand tied to data centers.

Separately, Dominion is pursuing a proposed $67 billion merger with NextEra Energy. Shareholders have approved the transaction, but it remains subject to regulatory approval and has drawn political opposition. The source material does not establish how the merger would change Dominion’s storage plans.

Regulatory Reviews and Project Plans

The next steps include review of Dominion’s filed IRP and the utility’s future proposals for individual generation and storage projects. The plan is a long-range model, so readers should distinguish it from approvals to construct specific facilities. The source material does not state a date for a final decision on the IRP or identify the next storage applications.

For the nearer-term target, attention will turn to how Dominion seeks approval for the required 4 GW of short-duration storage by the end of 2030. The State Corporation Commission’s findings will also determine whether the separate long-duration storage requirement advances. Meanwhile, the proposed Dominion–NextEra merger awaits regulatory action. Those proceedings and future filings should clarify the project schedules, costs and technologies that are not detailed in the current plan.

Key Questions

What storage target does Virginia set for Dominion?

The law requires Dominion to seek approval for 16 GW of short-duration storage by 2045, including 4 GW by the end of 2030. A separate 4 GW long-duration target depends on a State Corporation Commission finding that the technology is viable and the targets achievable.

How much storage does Dominion’s preferred plan model?

Dominion’s 2026 integrated resource plan models roughly 3.5 GW of battery storage additions over the next 20 years. That is a modeled portfolio figure, not a count of capacity already operating or a final construction schedule.

Does the plan mean Dominion will not meet the state target?

Not by itself. The IRP’s preferred portfolio models about 3.5 GW, but the source material does not say whether Dominion will propose additional storage in later filings. The law requires the utility to seek approval for the specified short-duration capacity.

What else is included in the preferred plan?

The plan also models approximately 8.9 GW of new gas generation and 21 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity. These are modeled additions in a long-term resource plan, not confirmation that all of the projects have been approved or built.

What is known about Dominion’s existing battery projects?

The source report says Dominion has approval for about 170 MW of company-owned battery projects, with around 50 MW operating. Another 459 MW has been approved through power-purchase agreements.

Source: rss