Virginia's soaring power demand could lead to energy bill hikes

Virginia is facing the greatest growth in power demand since the years immediately post-World War II, Dominion Energy said last week .

Why it matters: Dominion customers are on the hook to help pay for that increased need via their energy bills, which could go up by an average of 50% in the next 15 years, a spokesperson told WRIC .

The big picture: A major component to this demand is data centers . Northern Virginia has the greatest concentration of them in the world.

• They house the computers that make tech like high-speed streaming — whether it's Netflix or your Spotify playlist — possible.
• Proponents say they're a necessary (and tax-rich) part of an increasingly digital world. Critics say the energy demand they require is unsustainable.

The intrigue: Part of Dominion's plan to expand and modernize the power grid to meet the needs involves small modular nuclear reactors.

• A Virginia law that went into effect this year allows Dominion to ask the State Corporation Commission to approve a rate adjustment to help pay the project development costs for one of those reactors.
• And last week, Amazon and Dominion entered into an agreement to potentially develop one in Louisa County.

Between the lines: Dominion customers are already seeing a slight increase in their electric bills — about $4 per month — to help pay for an offshore wind farm near Virginia Beach.

Yes, but: As of this January, Dominion customers' electric rates remain lower than the national average, per the state's monopoly utility company .