Index
Public Health & SafetyVirginia, USA

Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA)

Summary

The VCEA mandates that Virginia's largest utility companies transition to 100% clean, carbon-free energy by 2050, officially phasing out coal and natural gas power plants.

Rights & Rules

  • 01.
    Dominion Energy (the state's largest utility) must produce 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045.
  • 02.
    Appalachian Power (the second-largest) must hit the 100% renewable goal by 2050.
  • 03.
    Almost all coal-fired power plants in the state must be permanently shut down by 2024.
  • 04.
    The law massively expands the state's investment in offshore wind farms and rooftop solar arrays.

Penalties

  • 01.
    Utility companies that fail to meet their legally mandated yearly benchmarks for renewable energy generation must pay massive 'deficiency payments' (fines) into a state fund used to help low-income residents pay their power bills.

Verified Citations

Code of Virginia Title 56, Chapter 23

Source
"Each Phase I and Phase II Utility shall construct or acquire... solar and onshore wind generating capacity... By December 31, 2045... 100 percent of the Phase I Utility's total electric energy sales shall be generated from zero-carbon sources..."