Governor Spanberger Releases 2026 Virginia Energy Plan

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today unveiled the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan - laying out pathways to deliver affordable, reliable energy to families, protect the Commonwealth's natural resources, and power Virginia's next decade of economic growth - while keeping Virginia on track for a net-zero power sector by 2050.

For the first time in developing a Virginia Energy Plan, public input - more than 3,000 public survey responses, six regional meetings, a public town hall, and 20 industry-specific listening sessions - was paired with rigorous energy-system modeling and analysis. This approach evaluated multiple demand scenarios and policy pathways, giving Virginians a clear, evidence-based understanding of the costs and tradeoffs of different policy choices. Modeling shows Virginia has multiple pathways to a net-zero power system by 2050 while providing reliable and affordable power for Virginia families and businesses.

"Virginians have been clear about what they need from their energy system," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "Energy should be reliable, with enough power to support Virginia's growth. It should be clean and built in a way that protects the health of our communities and the natural resources around us. It should be local, so the jobs and benefits of our energy growth stay here in Virginia. And it must be affordable."

Governor Spanberger continued, "Understanding the complexity of this moment, we knew that this year's Energy Plan needed to do more than present a prescriptive path forward - it needed to analyze the options before us. We have clearly demonstrated that there are multiple paths forward that would allow Virginia to meet our clean energy goals, strengthen our energy mix, and power growth, investment and innovation.

The 2026 Virginia Energy Plan presents practical pathways forward to deliver near-term affordability while preparing Virginia's energy system for long-term growth by:

• Accelerating the deployment of the lowest cost, fastest, and cleanest energy solutions;
• Ensuring data center growth advances Virginia's energy goals;
• Aligning utility incentives with affordable energy outcomes;
• Advancing development of clean firm resources to keep critical infrastructure running in Virginia;
• Reducing emissions from and better leveraging gas infrastructure;
• Driving affordable, clean transportation across the Commonwealth; and
• Building a homegrown workforce and supply chain to power Virginia's energy economy.

The new plan responds to growing electricity demand without organizing Virginia's future around a single fuel, technology, or demand forecast. Instead, using sophisticated industry-standard modeling, it evaluates several possible levels of growth and focuses on the outcomes Virginians should expect from different policy choices. The result is a plan that supports action now, evaluates tradeoffs across scenarios, keeps multiple credible paths open to a net-zero power system, and lets Virginia adjust as demand, technology, and markets change.

"This plan sets a vision for building the innovative energy infrastructure and skilled workforce Virginia's economic growth will require, while preserving the flexibility to respond as demand, technology, and investment change," said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Chenery.

"The Energy Plan finds that Virginia has multiple pathways towards net zero by 2050 by pursuing a Clean-First, Least-Cost approach," said Chief Energy Officer Josephus Allmond. "As we build the energy system to support the growth we are anticipating, cleaner air and healthier communities will be part of how we measure success."

Virginia updates the Energy Plan every four years, as required by state law, to look beyond immediate pressures and prepare for the years ahead. While the plan does not set utility rates or approve individual projects, it is a tool to guide the policies, investments, and coordination that shape those decisions as they move through legislative, regulatory, and local processes.

"This plan is about delivering real results for Virginians: affordable and reliable energy, a healthier environment, and greater economic opportunity," said Virginia Energy Director Vince Maiden. "Under Governor Spanberger's leadership, Virginia Energy looks forward to working with our partners across government, industry, and communities to put this plan into action and build a stronger, more resilient, clean energy future for all Virginians."

The 2026 Virginia Energy Plan builds on Governor Spanberger's work to address the high energy costs facing families, meet rising demand, and hold data centers accountable.

Earlier this year, the Governor signed a slate of bipartisan bills into law focused on making energy more affordable - including her full Affordable Virginia Agenda. Last month, Governor Spanberger announced her Data Center Accountability Framework - the most comprehensive and aggressive data center accountability effort in the country. Additionally, the Governor proposed and signed into law the nation's first statewide energy consumption tax on data centers.

The Governor also successfully urged the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to require data centers to pay for transmission infrastructure built exclusively for their operations - saving Virginia families hundreds of millions of dollars. Finally, the Governor signed into law more than a dozen bills to enforce stricter requirements on backup generators, tighten water usage rules, and give local leaders more tools to assess the impacts of data centers.

Click here to read the full 2026 Virginia Energy Plan.

Click here to watch the roll out of the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan.

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