House 4379

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2026 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 4379

By Delegate Riley

[Introduced January 15, 2026; referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Works]

A BILL to amend and reenact §24-2-1e of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the Public Service Commission; providing definitions; and authorizing accelerated rate recovery for advanced transmission technology projects.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 2. POWERS AND DUTIES OF PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION.

§24-2-1e. Rate recovery for construction of electric transmission facilities and advanced transmission technology programs.

(a) As used in this section, "advanced transmission technology" means all forms of technology that increases the capacity, efficiency, reliability, resiliency, or safety of an existing or new electric transmission infrastructure including, without limitation: (1) advanced conductors that increase the power transfer capacity of transmission lines; (2) dynamic line rating that adjusts the rated capacity of transmission lines based on real-time conditions; (3) advanced power flow controls used to actively control the flow of electricity across transmission lines; (4) topology optimization that enables routing power flows around congestion points through transmission grid configurations; and (5) any other technologies designed to reduce transmission congestion and/or increase the capacity, efficiency, reliability, resiliency, or safety of an existing or new electric transmission facility.

(a)(b) In order to encourage the construction of transmission facilities necessary to transmit electric power from generating facilities located in this state to areas where such power can be economically marketed, the commission may allow an electric utility accelerated rate recovery for transmission facilities constructed or upgraded for the purpose of increasing the capacity to transmit electric power to areas outside the utility's service territory where such power can be economically marketed. In allowing accelerated rate recovery, the commission shall include the impact of the investment in transmission facilities on any investment equalization agreement in which the utilities participate.

(c) The public service commission may allow accelerated rate recovery for advanced transmission technology projects for the purpose of improving transmission of electric power to increase capacity, efficiency, reliability, resiliency, or safety when technically feasible and economically reasonable and prudent. In allowing accelerated rate recovery, the commission shall include the impact of the investment in transmission facilities on any investment equalization agreement in which the utilities participate.

(d) Upon commission approval, an electric utility shall be authorized to implement advanced transmission technology projects and to recover related project costs through accelerated rate recovery.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to enable the PSC to authorize accelerated rate recovery for advanced transmission technology projects.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.