Virginia legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Virginia SB818: An Act to amend and reenact § 56-577 of the Code of Virginia, relating to electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers; renewable portfolio standard requirements.
Status: Chaptered, April 13, 2026
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 HB 921.
What the bill says
An Act to amend and reenact § 56-577 of the Code of Virginia, relating to electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers; renewable portfolio standard requirements. [S 818] Approved April 13, 2026 1. That § 56-577 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as limitations; Commission authority; exemptions. A. Retail competition for the purchase and sale of electric energy shall be subject to the following provisions: 1. Each incumbent electric utility owning, operating, controlling, or having an entitlement to transmission capacity shall join or establish a regional transmission entity, wh.
From the enrolled text, April 13, 2026:
An Act to amend and reenact § 56-577 of the Code of Virginia, relating to electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers; renewable portfolio standard requirements. [S 818] Approved April 13, 2026 1. That § 56-577 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as limitations; Commission authority; exemptions. A. Retail competition for the purchase and sale of electric energy shall be subject to the following provisions: 1. Each incumbent electric utility owning, operating, controlling, or having an entitlement to transmission capacity shall join or establish a regional transmission entity, which entity may be an independent system operator, to which such utility shall transfer the management and control of its transmission system, subject to the provisions of § 56-579. 2. The generation of electric energy shall be subject to regulation as specified in this chapter. 3. Subject to the provisions of subdivisions 4 and 5, only individual nonresidential retail customers of electric energy of a Phase I or Phase II Utility, as those terms are defined in subdivision A 1 of § 56-585.1, within the Commonwealth, regardless of customer class, whose noncoincident peak demand during the most recent calendar year exceeded five megawatts [DELETED: but] [DELETED: did] [DELETED: not] [DELETED: exceed] [DELETED: one] [DELETED: percent] [DELETED: of] [DELETED: the] [DELETED: customer's] [DELETED: incumbent] [DELETED: electric] [DELETED: utility's] [DELETED: peak] [DELETED: load] …