Virginia Hits the Fast Lane: Governor’s Amendments on The FAST Act Accepted by General Assembly 

Landmark grid reform crossed the last hurdle to becoming law today, unlocking faster, cheaper clean energy deployment across the Commonwealth   

RICHMOND, VA –  The General Assembly accepted Governor Spanberger’s amended version of the Facilitating Access to Surplus Transmission (FAST) Act today, clearing the way for the bill to become law on July 1, 2026. The first-of-its-kind pilot will tap unused capacity at existing generation sites, creating a pathway to deliver new clean energy in months rather than years.

“We’re excited to see this bill finally enacted into law. We’re putting Virginia out front by moving power onto the grid faster and avoiding unnecessary costs. We’re doing what Virginians have asked of us: build the capacity our economy needs while keeping energy affordable,” said Virginia Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg.

“Virginians have been clear that energy costs are too high, and this legislation addresses that problem head on. We do not need to spend billions to build from scratch when we have capacity sitting on the grid. This new law will get power to Virginians faster and at lower cost,” said Virginia Delegate Phil Hernandez.

“The FAST Act is exactly the kind of common-sense grid reform we need right now: it cuts red tape and related costs, makes smarter use of existing infrastructure, and clears a faster path for resources to get built. Governor Spanberger and the General Assembly have sent a clear message that Virginia isn’t going to sit on the sidelines while demand rises and energy costs climb. Virginia is stepping up, speeding up, and showing the rest of the country what modern energy policy looks like,” said Jim Purekal, Virginia Policy Director at Advanced Energy United.

Advanced Energy United applauds the Governor and General Assembly for taking decisive action to strengthen reliability and support economic growth.