Two Virginia electric utilities have received failing grades in a new Sierra Club report examining their plans to transition away from fossil fuels. WMRA's Anjoleigh Schindler has more.
Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power both received scores of zero out of 100 in the environmental group’s 2026 Dirty Truth Report, unchanged from last year.
Nationwide, the 76 utilities evaluated scored just seven out of 100, down from 15 last year.
The report examines utilities’ plans to retire coal, avoid building new natural gas plants, and expand renewable energy.
Connor Kish, director of the Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter, says utilities should invest more in renewable energy and battery storage.
CONNOR KISH: They should be doing a massive buildout of battery storage across the country. We’re seeing huge numbers of battery storage and we’re not seeing those numbers here in Virginia and Appalachian Power territory quite yet.
Kish also questions whether projected electricity demand from data centers will materialize.
In a statement to WMRA, Dominion spokesperson Craig Carper said Virginia’s growing electricity demand requires an “all-of-the-above approach,” including carbon-free energy, battery storage, and generation that can provide power when customers need it.
Carper said those investments help maintain reliability and keep electricity costs affordable.
For WMRA News, I’m Anjoleigh Schindler.
