# Virginia SB487: Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program.

Virginia SB487, Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Jeremy S. McPike (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0893)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB487-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB487
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0893)
- Sponsor: Jeremy S. McPike (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 8 (250 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## 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 HB 562.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Co-op can add program costs to bills: cost, low. Beginning January 1, 2027, co-ops can recover virtual power plant costs through customer rates. They may create a new rate schedule or use existing rates. New schedules are filed with the Commission for information only. This can raise your electric bill, depending on the co-op's choices.
- Earn money in co-op virtual power plant: mixed, medium. Beginning January 1, 2027, you can enroll eligible devices in a co-op virtual power plant. Eligible tech includes batteries, non-battery storage, smart thermostats, and managed electric vehicle charging. You get pay-for-performance for grid services listed in the tariff. Co-ops review incentives, s…
- Co-ops can launch virtual power plants: mixed, low. Beginning January 1, 2027, electric cooperatives can start virtual power plant programs after a board vote. They do not need prior Commission approval. Programs must be built from groups of customer energy resources. Co-ops must file an informational notice that shows they evaluated federal funding…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Jeremy S. McPike (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | House substitute agreed to by Senate | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-27 | House | Passed House with substitute | pass | 96 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-24 | House | Reported from Labor and Commerce | pass | 21 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 39 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-12 | Senate | Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor | pass | 14 | 0 |   |

## Actions (31)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0893) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 893 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-24: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (SB487) (Senate)
- 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 (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB487ER) (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-03: House substitute agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-27: Passed House with substitute (96-Y 0-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-27: Engrossed by House - floor substitute (House)
- 2026-02-27: Delegate Reid Floor substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-27: Read third time (House)
- 2026-02-27: Floor Offered (House)
- 2026-02-27: Floor substitute printed 26108780D-H1 (Reid) (House)
- 2026-02-26: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-24: Reported from Labor and Commerce (21-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-02-18: Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce (House)
- 2026-02-18: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-18: Placed on Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-13: Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Reported from Commerce and Labor (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-01-27: Fiscal Impact Statement from State Corporation Commission (SB487) (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105222D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1223184.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1223183.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196030.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196029.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-27: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1185443.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1185442.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090468.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090467.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/1223184.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1223183.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196030.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196029.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1185443.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1185442.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090468.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090467.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-SB487-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).