Significantly Scaled Down Virginia Retail Energy Bill Held For Further Committee Consideration, Now Would Only Allow Eight Customers To Aggregate Load

A substitute for Virginia HB 889 was submitted to the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, with the substitute significantly reducing the retail electric choice provisions versus the version passed by the House

As previously reported by EnergyChoiceMatters.com, the bill as passed by the House would have eliminated a contiguous site requirement for a single customer to aggregate to the current 5 MW threshold allowing a customer to take retail electric choice, provided that the non-contiguous aggregated customer's supply meets the state's minimum renewable energy percentage

The substitute would only authorize, on a "pilot" basis, eight specific customers to aggregate their non-contiguous loads to a 5 MW threshold to take competitive electric supply -- with such 8 customers being those who previously filed such aggregation applications with the State Corporation Commission

Such customers who have applied to the SCC for aggregation to take competitive supply have included Walmart, Costco, Target, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Safeway, and Cox

Based on a discussion during a hearing, such eight customers account for about 275 MW of load

The pilot would be reviewed after two years

According to a discussion at a hearing, the substitute would no longer address existing provisions concerning the ability of all customers to take competitive supply if such supply is 100% renewable and if the incumbent utility does not offer a qualifying 100% renewable tariff

The substitute was "passed by indefinitely" by the Committee, with the intent to further consider the substitute next week

The Committee also considered HB 868, a stand-alone bill only addressing the current renewable electricity exemption for competitive supply, and which would have allowed customers to purchase 100% renewable electricity from a competitive supplier regardless of whether the incumbent utility offered a qualifying 100% renewable tariff

The Committee continued HB 868 until 2021, which generally means the bill will not be further considered by the Senate this year