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This week, the Virginia General Assembly reconvened with two major goals: finalize a budget and discuss the amendments presented by Governor Spanberger – all 180 of them. Following her signature and the reconvened session, we now have a gauge of where energy legislation is heading and what will become law later this year.
Of those amended, HB711 and HB891 were two bills sent back to the General Assembly for review. HB711, the solar ordinance standards bill, establishes clearer expectations around setbacks, decommissioning, and project oversight, addressing long-standing inconsistencies in how projects have been reviewed across jurisdictions. The bill provides a
more uniform baseline, but it does not remove counties’ ability to shape outcomes. Instead, it provides a baseline for counties to refine local standards, incorporate community input, and apply conditions that reflect local priorities. This bill was amended by the Governor, but mainly just to clarify wording – changing “permits” to “laws,” and clarifying definitions.
HB891 however, received more substantive amendments. The bill allows battery energy storage systems to be added as a permitted accessory use to solar projects that have already received a special exception. The bill eliminates the need for a separate land use approval for storage on the same parcel, and the addition of battery storage cannot alter payment obligations or siting agreements with the approved solar project. However, localities retain authority over safety standards, emergency response planning, and voluntary siting agreements. The Governor made an amendment to this bill that limits the size of the added battery storage project to not exceed the capacity of the solar project.
Both bills, and their amendments, were approved in the House and Senate and the Governor on April 22nd and will become law on July 1st, 2026.
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