# Virginia SB448: Electric utilities; energy storage requirements, Department of Energy to develop model ordinance.

Virginia SB448, Electric utilities; energy storage requirements, Department of Energy to develop model ordinance., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Lamont Bagby (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0695)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB448-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB448
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Electric utilities; energy storage requirements, Department of Energy to develop model ordinance.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0695)
- Sponsor: Lamont Bagby (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 12 (257 yes, 120 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 17

## Summary

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 HB 895.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Localities get energy storage safety guidance: benefit, low. Virginia's Department of Energy must develop suggested local storage ordinances and best-practice guidance by December 1, 2026. It must consult the Departments of Environmental Quality and Fire Programs. The ordinances must include safety standards consistent with the latest NFPA 855 edition and re…
- Storage bids must meet safety standards: benefit, low. Utilities must show that covered storage projects meet the latest published NFPA 855 safety standard for stationary storage systems. In qualifying 2026 acquisition solicitations, utilities cannot reject submission of a proposal that meets that standard. They must revise and reissue requirements iss…
- Renewable buyers avoid some utility charges: benefit, low. Accelerated renewable buyers can contract for eligible renewable certificates or bundled power, capacity, and certificates to offset electricity use. Eligible resources must be in the PJM grid region and have first entered commercial operation after January 1, 2015. Buyers avoid specified renewable…
- Some outside-supplier customers avoid renewable charges: benefit, low. Some customers avoid specified renewable charges while buying electricity from a competitive supplier rather than their utility. Phase II customers must have had peak demand above 100 megawatts in 2019 and chosen competitive supply before April 1, 2019. Phase I customers must have chosen competitiv…
- Storage buyers receive limited cost exemptions: benefit, low. Accelerated renewable buyers can contract for storage capacity and receive specified storage-charge exemptions proportional to capacity demand. Those contracts cannot charge customers who did not voluntarily agree to pay. A separate proportional procurement-cost exemption covers Phase II customers…
- Shortfall payments fund jobs and energy: benefit, low. Virginia's Department of Energy places all renewable shortfall payments in an interest-bearing account. It directs 50% to job training and 30% to renewable-energy programs in historically economically disadvantaged communities. Another 16% funds energy-saving measures at public facilities, and 4% p…
- Customers pay renewable and storage costs: cost, medium. Customers in Phase I and Phase II utility areas pay covered renewable and storage costs, even with another electricity supplier. Specified exemptions apply, and utilities may seek storage cost recovery through regular rates or a separate rate adjustment. For utilities serving several states, Virgin…
- Utility renewable shortfalls can affect bills: cost, medium. Utilities must pay for yearly renewable shortfalls or when required renewable certificate costs exceed $45 per megawatt-hour. The base payment is $45 per megawatt-hour of shortfall. It is $75 for shortfalls involving qualifying Virginia solar, wind, or anaerobic-digester projects of 1 megawatt or l…
- Long-duration storage expands with viability checks: mixed, medium. Long-duration storage targets take effect only after the Commission finds the technology viable and targets reasonably achievable. Phase I utilities must seek approval for 520 megawatts and Phase II utilities for 4,000 by December 31, 2045, with half petitioned by December 31, 2035. Half must last…
- Phase I utilities add renewable power: mixed, medium. Phase I utilities must seek approval for at least 600 megawatts of Virginia solar or onshore wind. Petitions must cover 200 megawatts by December 31, 2023, another 200 by December 31, 2027, and another 200 by December 31, 2030. For each portion, 35% must come from facilities owned by others; the ut…
- Phase II utilities expand renewable power: mixed, medium. Phase II utilities must seek approval for 16,100 megawatts of Virginia solar or onshore wind by December 31, 2035. Targets are 3,000 megawatts by 2024, another 3,000 by 2027, another 4,000 by 2030, and another 6,100 by 2035. The total includes 1,100 megawatts of solar projects no larger than 3 mega…
- Utilities face larger short-duration storage targets: mixed, medium. Phase I utilities must seek approval for 780 megawatts of storage lasting under 10 hours by December 31, 2040, replacing 400 megawatts by 2035. Phase II utilities must seek approval for 4,000 megawatts by December 31, 2030, and 16,000 by December 31, 2045. At least 10% of each required capacity mus…
- Utility bids get independent cost checks: mixed, medium. Phase I and Phase II utilities must seek solar, wind, and storage bids yearly, posting requests at least 45 days before bidding closes. Selection must weigh at least seven factors, including costs, project readiness, developer experience, grid effects, and regional benefits. Storage bids must compa…
- Utility plans include customer-side storage: mixed, medium. Phase I and Phase II utilities must file yearly solar, onshore wind, and storage plans from 2020 through 2045. Plans must aim for at least 10% of proposed storage projects to be behind customers' meters. The Commission reviews costs and prudence and must issue a final order within six months of fil…
- Commission checks storage and power proposals: mixed, low. The Commission can permit storage facilities only after finding no material harm to utility reliability or conflict with the public interest. Qualifying regulated-utility petitions filed after July 1, 2007, also need a public-need finding; some existing government approvals satisfy covered requirem…
- Renewable rules favor regional power sources: mixed, low. Starting with 2025 compliance years, eligible renewable certificates must come from Virginia or the PJM grid region. Eligible sources include qualifying solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal resources, plus specified Virginia waste-to-energy and landfill-gas resources. Virginia biomass facilities…
- Virginia tests long-duration storage technologies: mixed, low. The Commission must create a long-duration storage demonstration program for a Phase II utility. The program provides for petitions covering at least three technologies with at least 4,000 megawatt-hours of combined discharge capacity. Existing long-duration storage can count, and the Commission ma…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Lamont Bagby (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-12 | Senate | House substitute agreed to by Senate | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-03-11 | House | Passed House with substitute | pass | 66 | 33 |   |
| 2026-03-11 | House | Delegate Wilt Floor amendment passed by | pass | 64 | 35 |   |
| 2026-03-05 | House | Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute | pass | 15 | 6 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | 8 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-16 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate | pass | 22 | 17 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | Senate | Committee substitute rejected (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | Senate | Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-12 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-12 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute | pass | 12 | 3 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 9 | 6 |   |

## Actions (44)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0695) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 695 (Effective - see bill) (Governor)
- 2026-04-02: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB448) (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB448ER) (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: House substitute agreed to by Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB448) (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Passed House with substitute (66-Y 33-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-11: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2026-03-11: Delegate Wilt Floor amendment passed by (64-Y 35-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-11: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-03-11: Read third time (House)
- 2026-03-10: Passed by for the day (House)
- 2026-03-10: Floor (House)
- 2026-03-09: Read second time (House)
- 2026-03-05: Committee substitute printed 26109068D-H1 (House)
- 2026-03-05: Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (15-Y 6-N) (House)
- 2026-03-03: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-03-03: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-02-27: Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3 (House)
- 2026-02-19: Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce (House)
- 2026-02-19: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-19: Placed on Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-18: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB448) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Read third time and passed Senate (22-Y 17-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Committee substitute rejected (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Committee substitute printed 26107847D-S2 (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (12-Y 3-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-10: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB448) (Senate)
- 2026-02-10: Committee substitute printed 26107447D-S1 (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Senate committee offered (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N) (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105446D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222211.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222210.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213416.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213415.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-03-11: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1205389.HTML)
- Substitute, 2026-03-05: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1197056.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1197055.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-03-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192042.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192041.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-03-03: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191301.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191300.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145709.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145708.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-10: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1136062.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1136061.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135550.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135549.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090305.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090304.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/1222211.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222210.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213416.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213415.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1205389.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1197056.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1197055.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192042.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192041.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191301.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191300.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145709.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145708.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1136062.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1136061.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135550.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135549.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090305.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090304.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)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB448-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).