Dominion Energy forecasts annual profit below estimates, raises spending plan

Core Viewpoint - Dominion Energy forecasts annual profit below Wall Street expectations while increasing its five-year capital spending plan by nearly 30% to meet rising electricity demand [1] Group 1: Financial Forecasts - Dominion Energy expects fiscal 2026 operating earnings of $3.45 to $3.69 per share, with the midpoint below analysts' average estimate of $3.60 [1] - The company's fourth-quarter operating expenses rose nearly 11% to $3.33 billion compared to the previous year, impacting overall financial performance [1] - Dominion's adjusted profit for the quarter ended December 31 was 68 cents per share, slightly exceeding estimates of 67 cents [1] Group 2: Capital Expenditure Plans - Dominion plans to spend $64.7 billion on capital investments from 2026 through 2030, an increase from its prior budget of $50.1 billion through 2029 [1] - The utility has contracted nearly 48.5 gigawatts of data center capacity as of December, reflecting a 1.4 GW increase since September [1] Group 3: Market Context - U.S. utilities, including Dominion, are increasing capital expenditure budgets due to extreme weather conditions and rising demand for new power capacity from data centers, particularly those focused on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency [1] - Dominion serves the world's largest data center market, which exceeds the combined capacity of the next five largest markets in the U.S. [1]