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HB 824

Data centers; energy generation and storage, by work group, report.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Rip Sullivan

Virginia establishes work group to study energy generation and storage options for data centers to address electricity demand and sustainability concerns.

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Bill Summary · HB 824

Legislative bill overview

HB 824 establishes a legislative work group to study and report on energy generation and storage solutions for Virginia's data centers. The bill directs this work group to examine how data centers can integrate renewable energy and storage technologies, likely in response to Virginia's growing data center industry and its substantial electricity demands.

Why is this important

Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and Virginia hosts a significant portion of the nation's data center infrastructure, particularly in Northern Virginia. As electricity demand from data centers increases, policymakers need to understand whether current energy infrastructure and renewable energy capacity can support this growth while meeting climate and sustainability goals.

Potential points of contention

  • Cost allocation: Determining whether data centers should bear the cost of upgrading energy infrastructure or whether these costs should be distributed across all ratepayers
  • Environmental trade-offs: Balancing economic benefits of data center expansion against land use, water consumption, and grid strain concerns
  • Timeline and feasibility: Disagreement over whether renewable energy and storage solutions can realistically scale fast enough to meet growing data center energy needs

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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