H.B. 862, a bill to advance grid-enhancing technologies, passed out of the General Assembly on Thursday and now heads to the governor’s desk

RICHMOND, VA – A bill that will help Virginia’s electric transmission grid be more efficient and help keep the lights on passed the Virginia General Assembly on Thursday.  

H.B. 862, proposed by Del. Phil Hernandez and endorsed by national business association Advanced Energy United, will improve grid reliability and increase the capacity of the existing grid to keep up with the Commonwealth’s growing energy needs. The bill requires that electric utilities in the state consider grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), a suite of technological upgrades that could add 30-40% more capacity to the current grid and save the Commonwealth money on grid congestion costs, in the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) process. 

“One of the most cost-effective ways to keep up with growing electricity demand is to optimize our existing grid,” said Kim Jemaine, Virginia state lead at Advanced Energy United. “Thank you to Delegate Hernandez for this first step towards helping Virginia unleash the enormous potential of GETs toward that goal.” 

The bill now moves to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk, awaiting signature.  

Earlier this year, Advanced Energy United and a coalition of partners launched Transmission Possible, a campaign to educate the public about the benefits of building out the transmission system and deploying more grid-enhancing technologies. The campaign’s website, which features videos and fact sheets, is TransmissionPossible.org. 

Click here to learn more about Advanced Energy United’s work in Virginia advocating for interconnection and electrified transportation.