Five New England States Ask FERC and DOJ to Scrutinize the 67 Billion Dollar NextEra-Dominion Merger

FERC & Federal Policy & Markets Regulatory
Marin Holt
August 26, 2026
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7 minutes read

Deal value: $67 billion
New England electricity from the two nuclear plants: nearly a quarter
NextEra spending against the NECEC line: $20 million
States in the joint statement: Five of six
Reviewers asked for highest scrutiny: FERC and the Justice Department

Five New England states asked federal regulators to apply “the highest level of scrutiny” to the proposed $67 billion merger of NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy. The New England States Committee on Electricity issued the joint statement on August 18, 2026. It went to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Justice Department and every other reviewing body. The merger would create the largest electric utility in the United States.

In New England the combined company would own both remaining nuclear plants. Those two units supply nearly a quarter of all New England electricity. Dominion owns Millstone Power Station in Waterford, Connecticut. NextEra Energy Resources holds Seabrook Station in New Hampshire.

What the States Filed

The joint statement carries no legal force. The filings behind it do. Massachusetts filed twice. The Department of Public Utilities and the state Attorney General each moved to intervene in the FERC proceeding. The Connecticut environmental agency and the Office of Consumer Counsel filed their own motions.

Governor Maura Healey said the deal “would give this company tremendous leverage over our energy future,” and said the administration will intervene at the federal level. Governor Janet Mills of Maine called it an “ill-advised proposal” that would “give one company sole control of several critical energy generating assets in New England.” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong was blunter. “I cannot support this merger,” Tong said.

The states built the case on record rather than forecast. NextEra spent $20 million to block the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line, delaying the project for years. The Maine Ethics Commission later fined two opposition groups for failing to disclose that NextEra funded them. A NextEra subsidiary was ordered to refund millions after charging ratepayers for a transmission project never built. Dominion pressured Connecticut into a long-term agreement after threatening to close Millstone.

New Hampshire is the gap in the coalition. Governor Kelly Ayotte did not join the statement. As of August 24, Ayotte had not answered a question about that decision. Seabrook sits in New Hampshire. The state still holds a seat on the NESCOE board, appointed by all six New England governors. NextEra did not respond to a request for comment.

Why It Matters

Scrutiny is not denial. NESCOE asked FERC and the Justice Department to look hard, not to reject. That distinction sets the realistic ceiling on this fight. The live question is conditions rather than blockage: divestiture, market-power mitigation, or ring-fencing around Millstone and Seabrook.

Watch the intervenor list and the comment schedule. Massachusetts, Connecticut and NESCOE already sit inside the FERC docket. A granted extension would be the cheapest early signal that the commission sees a market-power question worth briefing rather than a routine approval.

Critical Perspective

The two plants at issue supply nearly a quarter of New England electricity, and that share is the whole argument. NESCOE asked for scrutiny rather than denial, a materially weaker ask than the outright opposition Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has already put on the record. The precedent the states cite is their own: NextEra spent $20 million against the New England Clean Energy Connect line and delayed that project for years. If a $20 million campaign could stall one transmission line, what does a combined owner of both regional nuclear plants do to the next project it dislikes?