Virginia is at a pivotal moment. Rapid growth in electricity demand is creating new opportunities for jobs, investment, and innovation, but it is also putting pressure on household bills, electric grid reliability, and the communities that host new infrastructure. The choices Virginia makes today will determine whether Virginia becomes a state for energy innovation and will shape whether families can afford their bills, whether businesses can grow with confidence, and whether communities share equitably in the benefits of growth.

The 2026 Virginia Energy Plan (VEP) presents a practical path forward to meet this moment. It aims to deliver tangible improvements today while building the energy system that Virginia needs for the future. For families, that means affordable and more predictable energy costs, comfortable and efficient homes, cleaner air, and dependable service. For businesses, it means affordable, available, reliable power that supports investment, innovation, and long-term growth. This effort is guided by a unified long-term vision:

Virginia's Energy Vision

Deliver affordable, reliable, and local clean energy that works for every community in Virginia and powers a thriving economy—today and for generations to come.

As laid out in this Energy Plan, Virginia has multiple pathways towards a net zero power sector by 2050 by pursuing a Clean-First, Least-Cost approach: deploying technologies such as solar, storage, distributed energy resources (DERs), and demand flexibility, furthering energy efficiency, and improving utilization of the existing grid in the near term, while advancing clean firm resources—including advanced nuclear and offshore wind—to meet long-term needs. This approach positions the Commonwealth to lead in energy innovation, build homegrown supply chains and skilled careers, and deliver lasting local benefits.

The VEP focuses primarily on Virginia’s electricity system and the path to a carbon free electric power sector under the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), with some additional consideration of transportation energy use and costs. Virginia’s 2026 Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) addresses economy-wide pathways to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in line with the Commonwealth’s Clean Energy Policy goals.

Statewide public engagement, stakeholder input sessions, and energy system modeling informed the VEP and its recommendations. This Executive Brief summarizes Virginia’s changing energy landscape, outlook through 2050, and the strategies and actions needed to deliver this vision. See the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan for additional detail.