Bill updating rules for major electricity purchasers clears Virginia House and Senate

The bill sponsored by State Del. Alfonso H. Lopez clarifies eligibility for large electricity customers to use competitive suppliers and requires these suppliers to comply with Virginia’s renewable portfolio standard, according to the Virginia State House.

It was officially enrolled on March 3, 2026, having passed unanimously in the House (98-0) and the Senate (40-0).

Filed as HB921 on Jan. 14, 2026, during the 2026 regular session, the state legislature described the measure as: “Electric utilities; licensed retail suppliers, renewable portfolio standard requirements.”

The overview below draws from the bill text and provides additional explanation for clarity.

This legislation amends state rules affecting high-usage electricity customers buying from competitive suppliers, matching those transactions to the state’s renewable portfolio standard. It establishes which large customers can select non-utility suppliers, shortens the wait to return to utility service from five years to one, and updates previous minimum stay rules with a 30-month requirement. The bill calls for licensed suppliers serving these customers to achieve the utility’s annual renewable portfolio standard percentage collectively, allowing utilities to include these sales and renewable energy certificates toward their own benchmarks. Customers with agreements before June 30, 2025, are exempt unless they switch back to utility service.

Support in the House included 63 Democrats and 35 Republicans.

In the Senate, 21 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted to approve the measure.

The chief patrons were Del. Alfonso H. Lopez (Democrat-3rd District) and Sen. Barbara A. Favola (Democrat-40th District).

Lopez received a BA from Vassar College in 1992 and a JD from Tulane University in 1995.

Lopez, a Democrat, began representing Virginia’s 3rd House district in 2024 after succeeding Will Morefield in the State House.

Virginia lawmaking starts with introduction of a bill in either chamber, then referral to committees for review and amendment. If a committee advances the bill, it proceeds to votes on the floor of both chambers. When passed by both, it moves to the governor for approval, veto, or enactment without signature. The General Assembly meets every year in regular session beginning the second Monday in January. Each session brings hundreds of proposed bills, with only a portion enacted.

Information in this article was obtained from the Virginia State House. The source data can be found here.