Next Era Energy Inc. and Dominion Energy Inc. have offered more bill credits and new jobs to convince regulators in Virginia that their $67 billion deal won’t hit homeowners with rate hikes. Facing strong opposition from lawmakers and the public over concerns about soaring consumer rates and the stress of demand from artificial intelligence data centers, the companies responded on Monday with a sweetened proposal for Next Era’s planned takeover. Among the measures are a doubling of bill relief to four years and the creation of 1,000 new jobs in Virginia.

Next Era’s proposed acquisition of Richmond, Virginia-based Dominion would create the country’s biggest electric utility, spanning from Florida to Virginia’s data center alley. But it faces regulatory hurdles, including Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger taking the unprecedented step last month of intervening directly in the review of the deal. She said she was “deeply skeptical” about whether the takeover of Dominion, the state’s biggest power provider, was good for her constituents.

The companies’ concessions directly address the concerns of Virginia lawmakers and may help win over regulators, according to Julian Dumoulin-Smith, an analyst with Jefferies, though they may end up announcing additional benefits. The proposal “derisks the merger further and gives greater confidence in closing,” he wrote in a research note Monday. “We see a compelling case supported by measurable customer benefits and job creation that should be difficult” for the state to reject. Juno Beach, Florida-based Next Era’s shares fell 0.4% to $81.99 at 11:45 am in New York.

Dominion rose 0.5% to $64.65. The deal still needs approval from state and federal regulators. The companies said they continue to expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2027.

Under the proposal announced Monday, the companies said they also plan to boost a customer bill assistance program by $100 million through 2038. In addition, they pledged to shield customers from the costs associated with AI data centers, invest in a workforce development fund and build more clean energy and battery storage. “This is a Virginia-first package, and it starts with customers,” Next Era Chief Executive Officer John Ketchum said in a statement.