Bill > HB1079

This bill directs the State Corporation Commission (SCC), a state agency that regulates utilities, to oversee an "all-source competitive procurement" process for Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power, which are referred to as Phase I and Phase II Utilities. This process means the SCC will manage a system where these utilities must competitively bid to acquire new energy supply resources, meaning they will solicit proposals from various sources for electricity generation and capacity. The bill emphasizes that this procurement should be "technology and ownership neutral," meaning it shouldn't favor any particular type of energy source or who owns it. The SCC will decide how much capacity each utility needs to competitively procure, considering their resource planning, and will allow for a wide range of energy alternatives and ways to optimize resource use. Crucially, the SCC must establish "best practices" for evaluating all available "supply-side" (like power plants) and "demand-side" (like energy efficiency programs) resources fairly to select the most practical and cost-effective options. Before a utility can issue its request for proposals (RFP) to potential suppliers, the SCC will review it to ensure all resources are evaluated equitably, and may hire an expert consultant to assist with this review. The bill also requires these RFPs to align with existing requirements for procuring solar and wind energy.

Business and Industry

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1079