Our flagship legislative proposal
Powering innovation. Protecting Virginia.
Require clear resource commitments before construction and independently verified results before awarding additional incentives.
The proposal
The draft links responsible resource planning with public reporting, practical demand flexibility, and incentives earned through verified performance.
Require early resource plans for qualifying new campuses and major expansions. Map phased electricity demand, water needs, noise, and safety commitments before construction. Confirm service readiness and independent commissioning before operations begin.
Early resource planningIndependently verify efficiency and report actual electricity use, peak demand, and annual and peak-day water use, with appropriate protections for sensitive information. Evaluate cooling against local water availability and drought conditions.
Measured performanceRequire a practical flexibility plan. Reward demonstrated load shifting and qualifying noncombustion resources while protecting critical services, emergency reserves, and safe recovery. Fossil-fueled generation would not earn peak-reduction incentives.
Practical grid flexibilityConnect additional incentives to eligible improvements beyond required baselines. Issue credits after verified performance, limit public exposure, audit results, and recover benefits when conditions fail. Protect existing agreements and apply new exemption conditions prospectively from 2029.
Accountable incentivesThese are draft policy choices. Final thresholds, transition protections, staffing, and fiscal effects require formal review.
Qualifying major expansions would be covered, and existing covered facilities would also report performance. The credit would reward eligible improvements beyond the required baseline.
Energy & innovation
The proposal supports credible renewable procurement and tested innovations in cooling, storage, solid-state transformers, and DC distribution, including a capped demonstration program.
Nuclear energy would be evaluated separately for licensing, delivery, water needs, and cost responsibility. Renewable and nuclear claims, and annual and hourly matching, would remain distinct. Annual certificates alone would not demonstrate round-the-clock clean supply.
Efficiency and flexibility would complement necessary power supply and transmission. Local review and agency responsibilities would remain in place.
Help refine the proposal
Community perspectives and technical, fiscal, and legislative review will help test the draft’s assumptions and identify a workable path for consideration.
