2026 Virginia Energy Plan released by governor’s office
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger released the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan, outlining multiple pathways to meet rising electricity demand while achieving a net-zero power sector by 2050. The plan also builds on recent state actions targeting data center energy, transmission, water use and backup-generator impacts.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced the release of the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan, which uses public feedback and energy-system modeling to evaluate several ways to provide reliable, affordable power while moving the state toward a net-zero power sector by 2050. The plan addresses different growth and demand scenarios rather than committing the state to a single fuel or technology.
The plan is intended to guide future legislative, regulatory and local decisions but does not set utility rates or approve individual projects. Spanberger's office said the broader effort includes a statewide data center energy-consumption tax, requirements for data centers to fund transmission infrastructure built exclusively for their operations, tighter water-use rules and stricter backup-generator requirements.