Governor Spanberger Seeks Public Input for 2026 Virginia Energy Plan

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced the launch of a statewide public input process to inform the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan (VEP), a ten-year roadmap for how the Commonwealth will focus on contending with high energy costs while growing energy demand, strengthening reliability and resilience for households and businesses, and continuing to move toward a net-zero economy. Led by the Virginia Department of Energy (Virginia Energy), the plan will draw on a coordinated, holistic effort spanning multiple secretariats and state agencies to reflect the full scope of challenges and opportunities facing Virginia's energy future.

"Energy costs are too high for too many Virginia families, and with demand on our grid rising faster than it has in generations, we must make energy more affordable and more secure," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "But our energy future should not - must not - just be written in Richmond. I want to hear from Virginians across every corner of the Commonwealth, and I encourage everyone who pays an energy bill in Virginia to make their voice heard."

"Maintaining Virginia's economic competitiveness depends on getting our energy priorities right: how we manage costs for communities and businesses, how we plan for grid capacity to support growth, and how we keep Virginia a place where industry confidently invests," said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Chenery. "By engaging directly with the business partners that keep our Commonwealth moving forward, the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan will set clear priorities for realistic results and keep the Commonwealth the best place in the country to invest and grow."

"Virginia is at an inflection point," said Virginia Chief Energy Officer Josephus Allmond. "Demand is rising rapidly, costs are climbing, and the choices we make over the next several months will shape the energy system Virginians depend on for the next decades. Ratepayers will play an ever-increasing role in a cleaner, more distributed, and more flexible grid, which is why their input is so vital to this process. We are committed to hearing from ratepayers, businesses, local governments, utilities, and community organizations across every region - to ensure all needs are met."

Virginians can share their perspectives through a public input survey, now open. The survey will remain open through July 31, 2026.

Alongside the public survey, Virginia Energy is hosting regional meetings across the Commonwealth and conducting targeted engagement with state agencies, utilities, industry representatives, advocacy organizations, local governments, and community organizations through virtual stakeholder sessions through late June.

"We are committed to an open, accessible process that gives every resident, community, and organization a meaningful opportunity to engage," said Virginia Energy Acting Director Michael Skiffington. "The perspectives we gather over the coming months will shape not just what this plan includes, but how the content will be understood and trusted across the Commonwealth."

Because energy touches every part of state government, the 2026 VEP is being developed in coordination with secretariats across the administration:

• Agriculture and Forestry will elevate the voices of farmers, forest landowners, and rural communities, ensuring the plan reflects rural energy needs and the opportunities of land use and bioenergy.
• The Department of Health and Human Resources will bring a focus on affordability and public health, ensuring the plan supports home energy security for low-income and vulnerable Virginians.
• The Department of Environmental Quality will bring expertise on air and water quality and environmental justice, ensuring the plan accounts for the health and pollution burdens that energy infrastructure can place on overburdened communities.
• The Department of Natural and Historic Resources will bring expertise on environmental quality, conservation, and resilience, ensuring the plan weighs the protection of land, water, and cultural and historic resources as new energy infrastructure is sited and built.
• The Department of Transportation will bring perspective on how Virginians and goods move, ensuring the plan accounts for transportation energy, electrification, and the fueling and charging infrastructure the Commonwealth's economy depends on.

To learn more, sign up for updates, and participate in the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan process, all Virginians are encouraged to visit energy.virginia.gov/va-energy-plan.

About the Virginia Energy Plan

The Virginia Energy Plan is a comprehensive plan the Commonwealth develops every four years to guide energy policy and decision-making. Under Virginia Code § 45.2-1710, the Department of Energy - in consultation with the State Corporation Commission, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Clean Energy Advisory Board, and a stakeholder group representing consumer, environmental, industry, and utility interests - prepares the plan to address energy costs, the adequacy and reliability of electric and natural gas resources, siting requirements, fuel diversity, and regional considerations. The Virginia Energy Plan also must identify actions over a 10-year period to achieve a net-zero carbon energy economy across all sectors by 2045 at the latest. The 2026 VEP is the next update following the 2022 plan and is scheduled for publication in October.

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