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Strategic Execution and Operational Drivers
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Management attributed 2025 outperformance to high-quality earnings and robust credit results, achieving the highest CFO pre-working-capital to debt metric since 2012.
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The 30% increase in the five-year capital plan to $65 billion is driven primarily by Dominion Energy Virginia, home to the world's largest data center market.
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Data center demand is characterized as 'high quality' and 'low risk' because forecasts are based on 20-plus gigawatts of signed Electrical Service Agreements (ESAs) rather than preliminary inquiries.
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The company emphasized that existing signed contracts already cover forecasted data center demand through 2045, providing a highly realistic 20-year growth runway.
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Operational efficiency remains a core strategic pillar, with management highlighting a proven track record of maintaining residential rates below the national average despite significant load growth.
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The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project is over 70% complete, with management focusing on 'prudent construction management' by deliberately slowing initial turbine iterations to ensure long-term reliability.
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Strategic positioning in South Carolina is focused on closing the earned ROE gap through a pending rate case and potential legislative shifts toward more frequent formulaic rate reviews.
Long-Term Outlook and Financial Assumptions
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Management expects to achieve the upper half of the 5% to 7% annual operating EPS growth range starting in 2028, driven by improved business fundamentals and increased regulated investment.
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The 2026 guidance midpoint of $3.50 per share (excluding RNG credits) assumes a 6.1% increase over 2025, despite a double refueling outage year at the Millstone nuclear station.
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Financing for the $65 billion capital plan will rely on approximately 60% internally generated cash flow and 10% programmatic common equity to maintain strong investment-grade credit ratings.
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The company will revisit its dividend growth rate only after achieving a peer-aligned payout ratio, prioritizing balance sheet strength to fund the enlarged capital program.
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Future earnings growth is expected to be biased toward the back half of the five-year plan as long-lead projects, such as gas generation, enter service and begin full cash flow conversion.
Risk Factors and Strategic Adjustments
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RNG 45Z credit guidance was lowered to reflect updated credit scoring and lower production assumptions, though management continues to await final federal regulations.
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A human performance error during CVOW turbine installation caused a two-week delay; management characterized this as a non-repeating event and noted the budget includes contingency through July 2027.
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Potential tariff exposure for CVOW is being monitored following a recent Supreme Court ruling, with the budget to be updated as the regulatory landscape for steel and country-specific tariffs clarifies.
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Millstone's future trajectory depends on a pending Connecticut RFP for zero-carbon energy, with bids due in March and results expected to clarify the plant's post-2029 earnings profile.
Q&A Session Highlights
Drivers of 6% growth in 2026 despite Millstone outages-
Growth is supported by the full-year impact of the Virginia biennial rate increase and a half-year impact from the South Carolina rate case.
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Management described 2026 as a 'catch-up year' for jurisdictions where the company had previously been under-earning relative to allowed returns.
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CVOW cost sensitivities and timeline beyond July 2027-
If turbine installation extends beyond July 2027, management estimates additional costs of $150 million to $200 million per quarter.
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A portion of any cost overruns would be allocated to the project's financing partner, Stonepeak, per existing contractual provisions.
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Forecasts assume data centers will ramp based on historical performance that typically exceeds minimum contract requirements.
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Management emphasized that the primary driver of financial performance is the ability to deploy low-risk regulated capital to support this load, rather than just sales volume.
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The company is in the final stages of evaluating Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology but has not included SMR construction capital in the current five-year plan.
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Current nuclear capital is focused on subsequent license renewals (SLR), maintenance, and fuel, keeping the balance sheet protected while supporting Virginia's pro-nuclear stance.
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Management declined to predict legislative outcomes but reiterated that data centers provide significant economic benefits to state and local economies.
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The company remains confident in the long-term growth trajectory of the sector regardless of ongoing General Assembly debates.
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