2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26104844D

HOUSE BILL NO. 1360

Offered January 19, 2026

A BILL to establish a policy of the Commonwealth regarding investor-owned electric utilities and to direct the State Corporation Commission to investigate certain utility practices.

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Patrons—Shin and Watts

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Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. It shall be the policy of the Commonwealth that no investor-owned electric utility with a certificated service territory in the Commonwealth shall engage in practices that distort wholesale energy markets. The State Corporation Commission (the Commission) shall investigate any such practices and shall remedy any such practices that result in unreasonable or imprudent economic losses for electric utility customers. In any relevant electric utility proceeding for cost recovery initiated after January 1, 2026, including any biennial review conducted under § 56-585.1 or 56-585.8 of the Code of Virginia, or any fuel factor proceeding conducted under § 56-249.6 of the Code of Virginia, if the investor-owned electric utility self-schedules an electric generation facility and the marginal operating costs of such facility are higher than the energy market clearing price set by the regional transmission entity for that same hour, then there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the costs of such self-scheduling are unreasonable and imprudent. The Commission shall deny recovery of any costs for which the utility fails to rebut the presumption that such costs are unreasonable and imprudent. The Commission may promulgate rules or regulations regarding how an investor-owned electric utility may rebut such presumption, provided that any regulations shall protect electric utility customers. The Commission may also promulgate rules or regulations to ensure that investor-owned electric utilities schedule and dispatch their electric generation facilities in a manner that best serves the economic interests of their customers. No regulations promulgated under this act shall delay the Commission's enforcement of this act.