Sen. Perry leads Senate bill refining electric service rules for high-demand customers

A recent bill from State Sen. Russet Perry seeks to clarify the obligations of electric utilities in supplying power to major customers and aims to grant utilities more discretion when managing requests from users with large electricity demands, according to the Virginia State Senate.

The legislation, designated as SB423, was introduced on Jan. 14, 2026, during the regular 2026 session, and carries the formal title: “Electric utilities; duty to furnish adequate service, high-demand customers.”

Here, we provide a summary based on the bill’s language, with additional interpretation to clarify certain elements.

Broadly, the legislation amends Virginia’s public utility rules to set out procedures for handling very large power users. Under the bill, electric cooperatives may fulfill their obligation to provide reasonably adequate service by arranging unregulated power sales from one or more affiliates to customers within their territory whose expected demand tops 90 megawatts. The measure also allows any electric utility to defer service to a customer projected to surpass 90 megawatts if doing so is necessary for maintaining grid stability, preventing overloading of generation or transmission assets, or meeting Federal Energy Regulatory Commission standards on load connections.

The proposal is co-sponsored by Sen. Russet Perry (Democrat-31st District) and Sen. Kannan Srinivasan (Democrat-32nd District).

Earlier in the session, Perry introduced another 20 bills.

Perry is a graduate of George Washington University and holds a JD from Georgetown University.

Perry, a Democrat, was elected in 2024 to represent Virginia’s 31st Senate district, succeeding former Sen. Barbara Favola.

In Virginia, the legislative process begins with the introduction of a bill in either chamber. The bill goes to appropriate committees for review and possible amendments. If advanced by committee, the bill is debated and voted on in both chambers. Passage in both houses sends the bill to the governor, who may choose to sign it, veto it, or let it become law without signature. The Virginia General Assembly meets annually in regular session starting the second Monday in January. Hundreds of bills are filed at each session and only a portion become law.