May 2 (Reuters) - Dominion Energy ( D ) posted a fall in

first-quarter profit on Thursday, as the utility was hurt by

unfavorable weather and higher interest-related charges.

The company said it had an unfavorable weather impact of 6

cents per share on its utility earnings.

It also said its interest and related charges rose nearly

20% to $574 million in the quarter, from $479 million a year

earlier.

Interest rates in the U.S. have been at multi-decade highs

since hikes began in 2023, leading to a higher cost of

borrowing.

Dominion reported a net income of $674 million, or 78 cents

per share, for the quarter ended March 31, from $981 million, or

$1.15 per share, a year earlier.

Its operating revenue also fell to $3.63 billion, compared

with $3.88 billion a year earlier.

The Richmond, Virginia-based firm also reaffirmed its 2024

operating earnings per share forecast in the range of $2.62 to

$2.87.

Its utility Dominion Energy Virginia serves the largest data

center market in the world, larger than the next five biggest

U.S. data center customers combined, the company had said in an

investor meeting in March.

Dominion serves about 6 million customers in 15 states.

The company reported operating earnings of 55 cents per

share for the first quarter, in line with analysts' estimates,

according to LSEG data.