# Virginia HB562: Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program.

Virginia HB562, Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by David A. Reid (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-03-31 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0044)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB562-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB562
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-03-31, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0044)
- Sponsor: David A. Reid (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 9 (321 yes, 2 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

Electric utilities; virtual power plant program; electric cooperatives. Authorizes electric cooperatives to establish and implement a virtual power plant program. The bill defines a virtual power plant as an aggregation of distributed energy resources, enrolled either directly with an electric cooperative or indirectly through an aggregator, that are operated in coordination to provide one or more grid services. Under the bill, an electric cooperative may offer incentives to residential customers to purchase battery storage devices and is required to evaluate various methods to optimize demand. This bill is identical to SB 487.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Co-op incentives for home batteries: benefit, low. Starting Jan 1, 2027, your co-op may offer incentives to help you buy a home battery. If it offers incentives, it must run a competitive bid open to co-op and non-co-op providers. The law does not set the incentive amount or who qualifies.
- VPP costs can raise your rates: cost, medium. Starting Jan 1, 2027, your cooperative can recover VPP costs through your electric rates. It may set a new VPP rate schedule and must file it with the state for information. This can make your electric bill higher when program costs are included.
- Co-ops can run virtual power plants: mixed, medium. Beginning Jan 1, 2027, your electric cooperative can create and run a virtual power plant after its board approves it. The co-op files program details with the state and the plan can be reviewed at its next rate case. The VPP groups customer devices like batteries, smart thermostats, and managed EV…
- Third-party aggregators and data sharing: mixed, low. From Jan 1, 2027, third-party aggregators can enroll customers and operate their devices in a co-op VPP. They are not treated as electric utilities just for doing that. Under an agreement, the co-op shares participating customer and grid data with the aggregator.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: David A. Reid (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-02 | House | Senate substitute agreed to by House | pass | 98 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-26 | Senate | Senator McPike Substitute agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-26 | Senate | Passed Senate with substitute | pass | 39 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-25 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-25 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor | pass | 14 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-02 | House | Read third time and passed House Block Vote | pass | 99 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-27 | House | Reported from Labor and Commerce | pass | 22 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-22 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 9 | 0 |   |

## Actions (32)

- 2026-03-31: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0044) (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Approved by Governor-Chapter 44 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-12: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB562) (House)
- 2026-03-10: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-06: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB562ER) (House)
- 2026-03-06: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-06: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-02: Senate substitute agreed to by House (98-Y 1-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-26: Passed Senate with substitute (39-Y 1-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: Senator McPike Substitute agreed to (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: Floor Offered (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: Floor substitute printed 26108702D-S1 (McPike) (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: Engrossed by Senate - floor substitute (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: Reading of substitute waived (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Reported from Commerce and Labor (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-03: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor (Senate)
- 2026-02-03: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: Read third time and passed House Block Vote (99-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-01-30: Read second time and engrossed (House)
- 2026-01-29: Read first time (House)
- 2026-01-27: Reported from Labor and Commerce (22-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-22: Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-01-20: Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3 (House)
- 2026-01-19: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB562) (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce (House)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105224D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-03-31: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214973.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214972.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194118.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194117.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-26: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1182223.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1182222.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084958.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084957.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214973.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214972.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194118.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1194117.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1182223.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1182222.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084958.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1084957.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB562-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).