Energy 2023: EDWARD H. ‘ED’ BAINE
Baine’s steady rise to the presidency of Dominion Energy‘s Virginia operations began when he joined the Fortune 500 utility as an associate engineer 28 years ago. But the seeds of his career were firmly planted when Baine, who grew up on a Lunenburg County tobacco farm, received a full scholarship to Virginia Tech, from which […]
Energy 2023: ROBERT M. ‘BOB’ BLUE
Dominion‘s CEO since 2020, Blue leads the Fortune 500 utility’s 17,000 employees, serving nearly 7 million customers in 13 states. Dominion also is powering ahead on its $9.8 billion, 176-turbine offshore wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach. Upon its projected 2026 completion, it will produce 2.6 gigawatts of energy, support 1,100 direct and […]
Energy 2023: DIANE LEOPOLD
Joining Dominion Energy in 1995 as a power station engineer and rising to chief operating officer in 2020, Leopold is responsible for all the Fortune 500 utility’s operating segments, including Dominion’s branches in Virginia and South Carolina, and its gas distribution and contracted assets division. During her 28-year career, Leopold has led Dominion’s gas infrastructure [&he[...]
Dominion, Dulles solar project to power 37,000 Va. homes
A massive solar project that will soon begin to take shape at Washington Dulles International Airport will not only have the ability to power 37,000 Virginia homes, but will also send a message to travelers about the power of clean energy, officials said Tuesday during a ceremonial groundbreaking for the 835-acre Dulles Solar and Storage project. […]
Fairwinds Landing project breaks ground in Norfolk
Developers broke ground Thursday morning on the Fairwinds Landing maritime operations and logistics center supporting Hampton Roads’ offshore wind, defense and transportation industries. The development project at Norfolk Southern Corp.’s Lambert’s Points Docks in Norfolk is being spearheaded by Fairwinds Landing LLC, a partnership between The Miller Group, Balicore Constructio[...]
Balance of power
Chris Rawlings was a mechanic who wanted to be a pilot. He left the Marine Corps in 2008 after deploying twice to Iraq, where he supervised an aircraft maintenance team, going on to perform similar duties as a civilian contractor in a hangar at Fort Eustis. But his plan was to get back into the […]
The 2023 Heavy Hitters list
Virginia Business’ annual list of the commonwealth’s 50 most powerful and influential leaders provides our editors’ take on the heaviest-hitting of heavyweights in business, government, nonprofits and higher education. Think of it as an executive committee for the leaders populating our annual Virginia 500 issue — the top 10% of the state’s power elite. And […]
Southwest Virginia could get small modular nuclear reactor
In early October, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced his goal of developing a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) in Southwest Virginia within 10 years, part of a plan to make the region an epicenter of energy innovation. Not long after, Youngkin said he planned to allocate $10 million to create the Virginia Power Innovation Fund, with […]
Dominion proposes new solar, storage projects
Dominion Energy Virginia has proposed 23 new solar and energy storage projects that could power more than 200,000 Virginia homes at peak output. The utility provider proposed the projects in its third annual clean energy filing with the Virginia State Corporation Commission on Friday. If approved, they will provide more than 800 megawatts of carbon-free […]
Charlotte County approves Va.’s largest solar farm
The largest solar project in Charlotte County — and Virginia, according to Dominion Energy Inc. — was approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors in July. Reston-based utility-scale solar developer SolUnesco LLC received a conditional-use permit to build the $800 million to $1.6 billion Randolph Solar project in the southern part of the county. SolUnesco […]
Charging up
Virginia Del. Richard “Rip” Sullivan Jr. is one of the General Assembly’s biggest advocates for electric vehicles. But when the Fairfax County Democrat went to buy a car in 2018, he started feeling anxious about the electric cars on offer — particularly their relatively limited range, given the lack of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in […]
Skanska wins $223M contract for offshore wind farm prep
New York-based Skanska USA won the $223 million contract to redevelop the 72 acres of the Portsmouth Marine Terminal that Dominion Energy Inc. will use as a staging area for its $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. The company announced the award on Tuesday. The CVOW calls for the construction of 176 wind turbines […]