Cover Story


The need for the pipeline stems in part from constraints on obtaining natural gas in eastern North Carolina and eastern Virginia, says Diane Leopold, CEO of Dominion’s Gas Infrastructure Group.


come as no surprise given that the ACP provides the foundation for the com- pany’s long-term strategic growth plan. “We really aren’t making contingency plans for not having the ACP. We believe the ACP will get built,” says Paul Koonce, the CEO of Dominion Generation Group. The company is counting on the


Koonce


underground pipeline to better serve customers, lower energy costs and provide a reliable backup to a growing portfolio of renewable sources. Dominion has built its solar portfolio


to more than 400 megawatts and continues to make solar acquisitions, while moving ahead with a 12-megawatt offshore wind project off the coast of Virginia Beach. “If we are to deploy 5,000 megawatts


of solar [by 2042] … you can’t do one with- out the other,” says Koonce. “If we’re going to maintain the dispatchable generation that we have to have to go with the intermit- tency of solar and other renewables, then we believe that we have to have the ACP.” Opponents say such arguments ignore


development. They claim there’s an urgent public need for the project, especially in natural gas-constrained areas such as Hampton Roads. “This is not a build-it-and-they-will- come type of project,” says Diane Leopold,


president and CEO of Dominion’s Gas Infrastructure Group. “This is people ask- ing for it because of a need and us putting forward a proposal that best met that need.” Dominion has thrown its full force


behind the $5 billion pipeline. That should


Dominion Energy’s changing mix The chart below shows Dominion’s regulated electric production by fuel type in 2006 and 2016.


Renewable Hydro Oil Natural Gas Nuclear Coal 24%


Purchased power, net


0 Source: Dominion Energy 24 AUGUST 2017 Photo by P. Kevin Morley 5 25% 8% 10 15 20 25 30 35 40


Note: Data include non-utility generation under contract as well as market purchases net of market sales. Purchased power is power Dominion buys from third-party providers and from the PJM wholesale market.


1% 1%


4%


30% 30%


31% 36%


0% 1%


4% 4%


2006 2016


the fact that Dominion is part of PJM, a regional grid operator based in Pennsylva- nia. “There is a ton of base load power in PJM,” says Will Cleveland, a staff attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) in Charlottesville. “We don’t need to generate every megawatt of electricity that’s consumed in Virginia. If you want to protect your customers from price volatility, you participate in the PJM power market.” Renewable energy advocates question


the wisdom of Dominion’s expansion into natural gas at a time when costs for renewables, such as solar and wind energy, are dropping and technologies are breaking new ground in areas such as energy stor- age. While natural gas produces half the carbon emissions of coal, it’s still a fossil fuel, they say. “We’re not saying don’t build any


natural gas,” says J . R. Tolbert, a Richmond- based vice president of state policy for Advanced Energy Economy, a national nonpartisan, business group that focuses on clean energy. “We’re saying that there are other solutions out there that, if we build thousands of megawatts of natural gas, we’re going to be leaving on the sideline.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104