Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements; power purchase agreements. Amends certain renewable energy portfolio standard program requirements for Dominion Energy Virginia, including the annual percentage of program requirements to be met with solar, wind, or anaerobic digestion resources of one megawatt or less located in the Commonwealth. The bill changes from 2025 to 2027 the compliance year beginning in which at least 75 percent of renewable energy certificates used by Dominion Energy Virginia shall come from eligible resources located in the Commonwealth. The bill also removes the requirement for a solar-powered or wind-powered generation facility to have a capacity of no less than 50 kilowatts to qualify for a third party power purchase agreement under a pilot program. The bill directs the State Corporation Commission, by July 1, 2033, to initiate a proceeding to evaluate the future availability of renewable energy certificates from certain resources and permits the Commission to increase or decrease by up to one percentage point the percentage of program requirements to be met by such resources in future compliance years. The bill provides that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage development on previously developed project sites, as defined in existing law, to reduce the land use impacts of solar development. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to SB 175.
Sales and use tax exemption; data centers. Requires data center operators to meet certain energy efficiency standards in order to be eligible for the sales and use tax exemption for data center purchases. Under the bill, a data center operator shall be eligible for the exemption only if such operator demonstrates that (i) its facilities either have a power usage effectiveness score of no greater than 1.2 or, for data centers co-located in buildings with other commercial uses, achieve an energy efficiency level of no less than the most efficient 15 percent of similar buildings constructed in the previous five years and (ii) by January 1, 2028, it will procure carbon-free renewable energy and associated renewable energy certificates equal to 90 percent of its electricity requirements or its electricity will be otherwise derived from non-carbon-emitting, renewable sources.
Electric utilities; integrated resource plans; State Corporation Commission to investigate electric load forecasting practices. Requires Dominion Energy to provide information related to forecasting its compliance with renewable energy portfolio standards in its integrated resource plan submitted to the State Corporation Commission, excluding information related to accelerated renewable energy buyers or customers purchasing electricity from a licensed supplier. The bill also directs the Commission to initiate a proceeding no later than March 1, 2027, to investigate electric load forecasting practices by Dominion Energy, Appalachian Power Company, and electric distribution cooperatives.
Electric utilities; renewable portfolio standard program; zero-carbon electricity; accelerated renewable energy buyers. Classifies zero-carbon electricity generating facilities that are not otherwise renewable portfolio standard (RPS) program eligible sources and that are placed into service in the Commonwealth after July 1, 2030, as RPS eligible sources. The bill permits an accelerated renewable energy buyer to contract to obtain bundled capacity, energy, and renewable energy certificates from solar, wind, or zero-carbon electricity generation located within the PJM region and placed in commercial operation on or before January 1, 2015, if investments to increase the maximum thermal power output of such facility occurred after January 1, 2015, or if a financial agreement for procurement of energy and capacity was entered into with such facility after January 1, 2015, to prevent the early retirement or decommissioning of such facility due to financial constraints.
Electric utilities; construction and development of renewable energy facilities; powers of State Air Pollution Control Board; powers of State Corporation Commission. Repeals provisions (i) requiring the State Air Pollution Control Board to adopt regulations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from any electricity generating unit in the Commonwealth and authorizing the Board to establish an auction program for energy allowances; (ii) prohibiting the State Corporation Commission from approving any new utility-owned generation facilities that emit carbon dioxide as a by-product of energy generation under certain circumstances; (iii) declaring that statutory allowances for energy derived from sunlight, onshore wind, offshore wind, and storage facilities are in the public interest; and (iv) relating to the development of solar and wind generation and energy storage capacity, development of offshore wind capacity, and generation of electricity from renewable and zero-carbon sources. The bill provides that planning and development activities for new nuclear generation facilities are in the public interest.
Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank; established; report. Creates the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank to finance clean energy projects, greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, and other qualified projects through the strategic deployment of public funds in the form of grants, loans, credit enhancements, and other financing mechanisms. An advisory board consisting of nonlegislative citizen members and ex officio members shall oversee the Bank and provide recommendations related to the Bank and its effectiveness. The bill contains provisions for (i) the powers and duties of the Bank, (ii) lending practices, (iii) a strategic plan, (iv) an investment strategy, (v) public outreach requirements, (vi) audits, and (vii) reporting requirements. This bill is identical to HB 1444.
State Corporation Commission; time frame for completion of certain proceedings. Requires the State Corporation Commission to complete proceedings involving an application for a certificate, permit, or approval required for the construction or operation by a public utility of certain transmission lines within nine months following such application, as required by current law for small renewable energy projects. The bill permits the Commission to enlarge such nine-month period for up to 120 days for applications regarding certain transmission lines. This bill is identical to SB 310.
Remediated Mine Gas Grant Program established; report. Directs the Department of Energy to establish the Remediated Mine Gas Grant Program to assist projects in the Commonwealth with capture and sequestration of remediated mine gas. The bill requires (i) the Department to award grants for the Program to taxpayers on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, and (ii) grant recipients to submit a report to the Department by October 1 of any year in which funds are made available for the Program. The bill also directs the Department to submit a report summarizing the information received from grant recipients to relevant committees of the General Assembly by January 1 after any year in which funds are made available for the Program.
Electric utilities; renewable energy portfolio standard; zero-carbon electricity; accelerated clean energy buyers. Revises the conditions under which accelerated clean energy buyers, defined in existing law as accelerated renewable energy buyers, may contract with Appalachian Power or Dominion Energy Virginia to obtain renewable energy certificates (RECs). The bill exempts an accelerated clean energy buyer obtaining capacity, energy, or RECs from qualifying resources or facilities from the assignment of non-bypassable costs associated with compliance with the renewable portfolio standard program based on the amount and type of renewable energy certificates obtained in proportion to such accelerated clean energy buyer's total electric energy consumption. This bill incorporates SB 470. This bill is identical to HB 369.
Electric utilities; renewable energy standard eligible sources. Requires that, in order to qualify as renewable energy standard eligible sources under the renewable portfolio standard program, certain waste-to-energy resources, landfill gas-fired resources, and biomass-fired facilities be electric generating sources. Additionally, the bill requires, for waste-to-energy and landfill gas-fired resources to qualify, that such resources not use waste heat from fossil fuel combustion or credit thermal output or use the renewable thermal energy equivalent calculation to produce renewable energy certificates (RECs). Finally, the bill requires the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) to revoke and invalidate RECs if the Commission finds them to have been inappropriately or erroneously produced, registered, sold, banked, or retired and requires utilities to procure and retire RECs to cover any amount revoked and invalidated.
