Utility Tariff Analysis · Updated September 2026

Dominion Energy's GS-5 Large-Load Tariff: What It Means for AI Data Centre Siting in Virginia

September 18, 2026 6 min read Strategic Crypto Reserve Data Centre Infrastructure

Customers with 25 MW or more of contracted load fall into the GS-5 rate class, effective January 1, 2027, requiring a minimum of 85 percent of contracted distribution and transmission demand and 60 percent of generation demand to be paid every month regardless of actual usage, backed by $1.5 million per MW in upfront collateral over a 14-year minimum contract term.

The Tariff Explained Model a VA Build
Dominion Energy's GS-5 Large-Load Tariff — AI data centre infrastructure

Dominion Energy's GS-5 Large-Load Tariff

VA

Dominion Energy Virginia

PUR-2025-00058

Regulatory docket / filing reference

Customers with 25 MW or more of contracted load

Who the tariff applies to

Customers with 25 MW or more of contracted load fall into the GS-5 rate class, effective January 1, 2027, requiring a minimum of 85 percent of contracted distribution and transmission demand and 60 percent of generation demand to be paid every month regardless of actual usage, backed by $1.5 million per MW in upfront collateral over a 14-year minimum contract term.

Also active in Virginia: Northern Virginia is the largest data centre market in the world, with 11,800 MW of current connected capacity. Dominion Energy Virginia serves 450 data centre customers and has connected nearly 16 new data centre customers per year, adding 615 MW of load annually over the past decade. PJM's interconnection queue now runs to the early 2030s for large Northern Virginia AI campuses, with wait times for the biggest projects reported approaching seven years.

Named Projects Already Underway

CustomerLocationDetails
AWSVirginia (statewide)$35 billion investment across the state for data centres
Dominion Energy Virginia customer exampleRichmond, VA900 MW data centre project, with power provided in three 300 MW phases through 2033

Figures compiled from the Edison Electric Institute's "Large Load Projects and Tariffs" (September 2026) member-company summary and public regulatory filings. Confirm current tariff terms directly with Dominion Energy Virginia and the relevant state public utility commission before relying on any figure for a capital decision.

Weighing Virginia against another state or a Canadian province with a different rate and interconnection picture entirely? Run both sides of the comparison through our licensed AI data centre cost configurator — it applies each jurisdiction's actual power rate, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules to the same seven build configurations.

Model This State on Your Own Site

Every figure above comes from the same power-cost and tariff dataset behind the SCR AI Build Configurator — a licensed, embeddable widget that models seven data centre build configurations against all nine Canadian provinces and all 50 US states plus DC, returning capital expenditure by line item, energy cost, revenue by commercial structure, EBITDA and payback.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dominion Energy's GS-5 Large-Load Tariff?

Customers with 25 MW or more of contracted load fall into the GS-5 rate class, effective January 1, 2027, requiring a minimum of 85 percent of contracted distribution and transmission demand and 60 percent of generation demand to be paid every month regardless of actual usage, backed by $1.5 million per MW in upfront collateral over a 14-year minimum contract term.

Why did Dominion Energy Virginia introduce this large-load structure?

To ensure the cost of new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure built to serve very large customers, chiefly hyperscale data centres, is paid for by those customers rather than spread across the general rate base of residential and small commercial ratepayers.

What large data centre projects are already active in Virginia?

Northern Virginia is the largest data centre market in the world, with 11,800 MW of current connected capacity. Dominion Energy Virginia serves 450 data centre customers and has connected nearly 16 new data centre customers per year, adding 615 MW of load annually over the past decade. PJM's interconnection queue now runs to the early 2030s for large Northern Virginia AI campuses, with wait times for the biggest projects reported approaching seven years.

Does this tariff replace Virginia's standard commercial and industrial rates?

No. Dominion Energy's GS-5 Large-Load Tariff sits above Dominion Energy Virginia's standard commercial and industrial rate schedules and applies specifically to customers that meet or exceed the large-load threshold described above. Smaller commercial and industrial loads continue to be billed under existing rate schedules.

How can I model a Virginia data centre build against this tariff and other states?

The SCR AI Build Configurator applies Virginia's power cost, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules alongside all other US states and Canadian provinces, so a Virginia scenario can be compared line-by-line against any alternative site.