VirginiaHB9212026 Regular SessionHouseWALLET

Electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers, renewable portfolio standard requirements.

Sponsored By: Alfonso H. Lopez (Democratic)

Became Law

Summary

Electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers; notice period for return to service. Permits an individual nonresidential retail customer of electric energy of Appalachian Power or Dominion Energy Virginia whose noncoincident peak demand exceeded five megawatts during the most recent calendar year to purchase electric energy from a licensed supplier within the Commonwealth. Currently, such a customer may only purchase electric energy from a licensed supplier if the customer's peak demand did not exceed one percent of the incumbent electric utility's peak load during the most recent calendar year unless the customer had a noncoincident peak demand of more than 90 megawatts. The bill changes from five years to eighteen months the advance notice period required for such a customer to return to service by an incumbent electric utility. This bill is identical to SB 818.

Your PRIA Score

Score Hidden

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to start

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.

Rate shifts after large customer switching

A Phase I or II utility may ask the Commission to change generation and distribution rates only to reassign costs tied to customers switching to or from licensed suppliers. The petition is allowed only for a net load change of 100 megawatts or more on or after July 1, 2026. Approved changes can shift bills among remaining customers.

Regional grid control and generator rules

Utilities that own or control transmission must join or create a regional grid group and hand over operational control of their transmission system to it. The law also keeps electric generation under state regulation. This changes who runs the grid and how plants are overseen, which can affect planning and reliability.

More ways to buy 100% renewable power

If your utility does not offer an approved 100% renewable tariff, you can buy 100% renewable power from any licensed supplier. If you already have a power purchase agreement when the utility files such a tariff, you may keep it until it ends. For cooperatives, a tariff filed on or after July 1, 2010 (residential) or July 1, 2012 (nonresidential) counts as 100% renewable if the co‑op retires renewable energy certificates equal to all energy sold under that tariff.

Supplier choice limits and aggregation rules

The law limits who can buy from non-utility suppliers. Only individual nonresidential customers with peak demand over 5 megawatts and no more than 1% of their utility’s peak may shop, unless they exceeded 90 megawatts in 2006 or later. Residential customers and nonresidential customers at 150 kilowatts or less cannot shop. You cannot combine separate sites to qualify, but small nonresidential customers (each 5 MW or less) can jointly ask the Commission to aggregate if it finds no harm and sets oversight. If an eligible customer does not choose a supplier, the incumbent utility supplies the power.

Switching rules, notice, and market costs

After capped rates ended, a customer that buys from a licensed supplier must give 18 months’ written notice before returning to the incumbent utility. The Commission can grant an exemption after a hearing when the supplier failed or is about to fail; during the rest of the notice period you pay the utility’s market-based costs, including energy, transmission, losses, ancillary services, and a reasonable margin. After the notice period, you can take service under the utility’s filed rates. Anyone who returns must stay with the utility for at least 12 months. If your utility chose the Fixed Resource Requirement as of February 1, 2019 and keeps it, customers who buy from suppliers still pay that utility for non-fuel capacity and transmission, and must give three years’ advance notice, with limited exceptions for older deals.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Alfonso H. Lopez

    Democratic • House

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 394 • No: 5

Senate vote 2/26/2026

Passed Senate

Yes: 36 • No: 4

Senate vote 2/26/2026

Passed Senate

Yes: 40 • No: 0

Senate vote 2/26/2026

Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate

Yes: 40 • No: 0

Senate vote 2/25/2026

Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading)

Yes: 40 • No: 0

Senate vote 2/25/2026

Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

Yes: 0 • No: 0

Senate vote 2/23/2026

Reported from Commerce and Labor

Yes: 13 • No: 1

House vote 2/11/2026

Passed House Block Vote

Yes: 98 • No: 0

House vote 2/11/2026

Read third time and passed House Block Vote

Yes: 96 • No: 0

House vote 2/5/2026

Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute

Yes: 22 • No: 0

House vote 2/3/2026

Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute

Yes: 9 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0707)

    4/13/2026Governor
  2. Approved by Governor-Chapter 707 (effective 7/1/2026)

    4/13/2026Governor
  3. Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

    3/10/2026Governor
  4. Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

    3/10/2026House
  5. Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB921)

    3/9/2026House
  6. Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB921ER)

    3/3/2026House
  7. Enrolled

    3/3/2026House
  8. Signed by President

    3/3/2026Senate
  9. Signed by Speaker

    3/3/2026House
  10. Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

    2/26/2026Senate
  11. Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

    2/26/2026Senate
  12. Passed Senate (36-Y 4-N 0-A)

    2/26/2026Senate
  13. Read third time

    2/26/2026Senate
  14. Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

    2/25/2026Senate
  15. Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

    2/25/2026Senate
  16. Rules suspended

    2/25/2026Senate
  17. Reported from Commerce and Labor (13-Y 1-N)

    2/23/2026Senate
  18. Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (HB921)

    2/16/2026House
  19. Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor

    2/12/2026Senate
  20. Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

    2/12/2026Senate
  21. Passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A)

    2/11/2026House
  22. Reconsideration of passage agreed to by House

    2/11/2026House
  23. Read third time and passed House Block Vote (96-Y 0-N 0-A)

    2/11/2026House
  24. Engrossed by House - committee substitute

    2/10/2026House
  25. committee substitute agreed to

    2/10/2026House

Bill Text

Related Bills

Back to State Legislation