Dominion Energy lands in Columbia for pivotal rate hike hearings

Dominion Energy's Gulfstream G450, registration N607D, lifted off from Richmond International Airport at 7:01 a.m. EDT on May 12, slicing a quick path to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina. The 52-minute flight crested at 30,025 feet and pushed 448.9 knots on the ground, settling wheels in Columbia by 7:53 a.m.—prime time for a morning briefing.

The visit coincides with public hearings before the South Carolina Public Service Commission on Dominion Energy South Carolina's application to adjust and increase retail electric rates, under docket 2025-325-E. Sessions kick off at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. that day in the PSC's Columbia hearing room, according to the commission's published schedule, with potential extensions through May 15. Such regulatory scrutiny demands presence, especially for a utility eyeing bill hikes amid steady operational demands.

Dominion Energy, headquartered in Richmond and serving customers across Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, logs frequent regional jaunts to manage its sprawling grid. Recent sorties on May 8 ferried personnel between Philadelphia, Richmond, and Atlanta, mirroring the company's pulse of boardroom-to-field oversight. Columbia's regulatory arena slots right in—though the brevity of this hop suggests even utility execs appreciate efficiency when the docket looms.