Maine governor says NextEra-Dominion merger will limit competition, raise energy cost concerns

Aug. 19 (Reuters) - Maine Governor Janet Mills said on Wednesday NextEra Energy's proposed acquisition of Dominion Energy would give it excessive control over New England energy assets, limit competition and make it harder to lower energy costs.

• The "ill-advised proposal" will give NextEra sole control of several critical energy generating assets, Mills said in a statement.
• "This deal may be good for NextEra's shareholders, but it's a bad deal for Maine people," she added.
• The statement came after the New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE) — representing six New England states — sought "the highest level of scrutiny" of the proposal from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and other regulators.
• Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger in August said she would intervene in the regulatory review of NextEra's merger with Dominion to press for commitments on electric bill affordability, job protections and clean-energy investments.
• The deal, if approved, will create the third-largest U.S. energy company — behind oil majors Exxon and Chevron — with its enterprise value topping the next two largest U.S. power companies combined.
• Maine legislation in April imposed a moratorium on new data centers as concerns grew over their impact on power bills and the environment.

(Reporting by Katha Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das)