Energy

Utility consumer services cooperatives; substation construction agreements. Permits an electric cooperative to enter into an agreement to construct a substation with a member receiving regulated electric service, with an electric demand of at least 20 megawatts during the most recent calendar year, that requires a point of interconnection with a transmission line system of 230 kilovolts or more. The bill provides that, upon final completion of a substation constructed under such an agreement, the member shall transfer ownership of such substation to the cooperative for the cooperative to operate and maintain at the member's sole expense. Under the bill, the costs of acquisition, operation, or maintenance of such a substation shall be excluded from the cooperative's general and base rates and shall not be recovered from any other ratepayer. This bill is identical to SB 377.

Policy of the Commonwealth; data centers. Provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage the responsible operation of data centers in the Commonwealth while supporting grid reliability, affordability, and the deployment of renewable resources. The bill provides that in furtherance of this policy, the Commonwealth shall (i) promote coordination between data centers, state agencies, and regional grid operators to share information on energy usage, interconnection timelines, and barriers to rapid deployment of renewable and flexible energy resources; (ii) incentivize data centers to participate in demand response programs, implement energy storage and management systems, and leverage automated technologies to reduce peak demand and support grid stability; (iii) encourage flexible energy practices that allow data centers to adjust energy consumption in real time in alignment with available renewable generation; (iv) ensure large-scale data centers pay their fair share of infrastructure investments, mitigating impacts on residential and small business ratepayers; (v) require data centers to report water and aggregated energy usage, sustainability measures, and participation in grid support programs to appropriate state and federal agencies; and (vi) promote cybersecurity, physical security, and supply chain security measures to protect Virginia data center operations from foreign adversary access or compromise.

Electric utilities; shared solar programs; Phase I Utility. Amends certain provisions related to the shared solar program established by the State Corporation Commission for Appalachian Power Company. The bill permits excess bill credits to be distributed to shared solar subscribers more than once annually. The bill also requires the utility in administering its shared solar program to require net crediting functionality for customer utility bills, as described in the bill. The bill also directs Appalachian Power to (i) release an additional 50 megawatts as part two of the shared solar program on July 1, 2026; (ii) release a further additional 50 megawatts as part three of the shared solar program by January 1, 2028; and (iii) petition the Commission to initiate a shared solar expansion proceeding to determine the capacity for part four of the shared solar program by May 1, 2029. See final enactments for bill effective date. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to SB 255.

Board of Housing and Community Development; Uniform Statewide Building Code; homeowners who live off grid. Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to amend the Uniform Statewide Building Code to exempt any homeowner who lives off the electrical grid from complying with provisions of the Building Code regarding electrical systems, so long as his home is otherwise habitable pursuant to Building Code regulations.

Small renewable energy projects; agrivoltaics definition. Provides a definition of "agrivoltaics" for the purposes of small renewable energy projects. This bill incorporates HB 899 and is identical to SB 340.

Electric utilities; surplus interconnection service sites. Directs Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to undertake a comprehensive assessment of available interconnection capacity at each such utility's existing and planned intermittent electric generation facilities located in the Commonwealth. The bill directs such utilities to establish pilot programs for energy storage resources and solar generation facilities that utilize surplus interconnection service, as defined in the bill, including a request for proposals. The bill requires such utilities to submit the results of such requests for proposals as part of their 2027 plans and petitions for approval for the development of new solar and onshore wind generation capacity, which plans are required under existing law. This bill is identical to SB 508.

Electric utilities; energy storage resources; Department of Energy to develop model ordinances; State Corporation Commission to conduct technology demonstration program. Increases the targets for energy storage capacity that Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia are required to petition the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) for approval to construct, acquire, or procure and extends the time frame by which such capacity must be met. Under the bill, (i) Appalachian Power shall petition the Commission for approval to construct, acquire, or procure at least 780 megawatts of short-duration energy storage capacity by 2040 and 520 megawatts of long-duration energy storage capacity by 2045 and (ii) Dominion Energy Virginia shall petition the Commission for approval to construct, acquire, or procure at least 16,000 megawatts of short-duration energy storage capacity by 2045 and 4,000 megawatts of long-duration energy storage capacity by 2045. "Long-duration energy storage" and "short-duration energy storage" are defined in the bill. Under the bill, the Commission shall approve an independent auditor to help develop criteria for and to help review requests for proposals for new energy storage resources. The bill requires the Commission to conduct a technology demonstration program for long-duration energy storage resources and initiate a proceeding to determine if such technology is viable and that the targets in the bill are reasonably achievable, for which a final order shall be entered no later than March 1, 2031. Certain provisions of the bill are only effective upon such determination by the Commission. The bill requires the Department of Energy, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Fire Programs, to develop model ordinances suggested for use by localities in their regulation of energy storage projects by December 1, 2026. The bill directs the Commission to initiate a technical conference by September 1, 2026, to evaluate safety standards and practices for energy storage development. The bill also includes a provision authorizing the Commission to evaluate energy storage project proposals during annual petitions filed for the development of new renewable generation capacity. This bill is identical to SB 448.

Electric utilities; small portable solar generation devices. Permits any electric utility customer to own and operate a small portable solar generation device, defined in the bill as a nationally certified, plug-in solar photovoltaic device with a maximum power output of no more than 1,200 watts at a single premise that is not designed to be interconnected with the electric grid and is intended primarily to offset part of the customer's electricity consumption. The bill prohibits an investor-owned utility, municipal utility, or electric cooperative from imposing interconnection requirements, charging any fee related to the device, or requiring that the customer obtain the utility's approval before installing or using the device. Under the bill, no electric utility or electric cooperative shall be liable for damage or injury caused by a small portable solar generation device.

Electric utilities; disconnection reports; State Corporation Commission database; annual summary. Requires each investor-owned utility and electric cooperative operating in the Commonwealth to provide a monthly report on residential account disconnections to the State Corporation Commission. The monthly report is required to include specific information outlined in the bill, including the number of residential accounts involuntarily disconnected due to nonpayment, the amount of time in which such accounts were reconnected to service, the amounts of arrearages attributable to such disconnected accounts and other residential accounts, and information related to how many of the disconnected accounts participate in a payment assistance program or have a serious medical condition certification form on file with the electric utility. The bill requires the Commission to publish the information from such monthly reports in a comprehensive and easily accessible online database. The bill also requires the Commission to submit an annual executive summary to the Governor and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation on trends in electric utility disconnections based on the reports submitted by electric utilities, the first of which is due by September 1, 2027. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to HB 828.

Electric utilities; pilot program for electric energy conservation, generation, and storage. Requires American Electric Power and Dominion Energy Virginia to each petition the State Corporation Commission by December 31, 2026, to conduct a pilot program for electric energy conservation, solar energy generation, and energy storage resources for low-income, elderly, and disabled individuals. The bill directs the Commission to convene a technical conference to evaluate the creation of an energy efficiency program meeting certain requirements by November 1, 2026. Under the bill, if the Commission determines that such a program is feasible for implementation by American Electric Power and Dominion Energy Virginia, the Commission shall require such utilities to petition for approval by May 1, 2027, to implement such programs. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2034. This bill is identical to HB 1062.