Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on making history and prioritizing energy policy
March 2026
As her family looks on, Abigail Spanberger is sworn into office as Virginia’s first female governor at the state Capitol on Jan. 17. (photos courtesy Spanberger campaign)
by Jeff Caldwell, Staff Writer
Cooperative Living celebrates Women’s History Month by sitting down with Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s 75th governor and the first woman elected to the commonwealth’s top office.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger has made affordability and grid reliability top priorities — advancing new legislation, creating a chief energy officer position and supporting renewable energy goals while recognizing that on‑demand resources like natural gas remain essential to Virginia’s economy.
She is walking a high wire across Virginia’s power lines — balancing the commonwealth’s role as the nation’s largest energy importer, home to the country’s largest concentration of data centers and leader in ambitious clean‑energy goals, while keeping the lights on amid unprecedented demand.
Spanberger says that electric cooperatives are essential partners in navigating energy uncertainty and ensuring rural communities are not left behind. She recognizes both the tradition of the cooperative model and the need for innovation and a continued commitment to service in order to address Virginia’s energy future.
Spanberger is inspiring a new generation of future female leaders by becoming Virginia’s first female governor.
You have made history as the first female governor elected in Virginia. As a mother of daughters, what does that achievement mean to you?
While it’s certainly exciting to be the first woman to serve as governor of Virginia, it’s even more exciting knowing there will be many more women in the years to come who will also serve the commonwealth in this position. By breaking one barrier, I believe we can give kids across Virginia the confidence to pursue their own dreams. As governor, I want to make sure that every young person in Virginia has the opportunities and support they need to achieve their goals, no matter what those goals might be or whether someone has achieved them before.
Virginia’s 13 electric cooperatives serve more than 1 million Virginians — one in seven Virginians are co-op member-owners. What is your perception of how cooperatives differ from other utilities, and how can we protect the not-for-profit business model that has made cooperatives successful for the past 80-plus years?
Electric cooperatives play a critical role in Virginia’s energy landscape. Nonprofit cooperatives are owned by the very people they serve — and that structure helps create a set of priorities driven by community needs, long‑term reliability and access, and affordability for the member‑owners. My administration is committed to protecting the nonprofit model and making sure that the one in seven Virginians served by an electric cooperative continue to have access to reliable, affordable and community‑focused energy for generations to come.
What conversations or experiences have you had with electric cooperative customers that were influential in the development of your policy positions?
Cooperatives have a long history of stepping up where others would not. More than 80 years ago, they brought electricity to farms and rural communities that other utilities were unable to serve. Today, they continue that tradition by expanding broadband access, strengthening grid resilience and investing in new technologies that benefit citizens and communities across our commonwealth. On the campaign trail, I was grateful for the opportunity to meet with some of the men and women who work to keep electric cooperatives strong and hear about the challenges they face. As governor, I look forward to supporting their efforts as we focus on setting up Virginia to meet the energy needs of the future. Energy demand is reaching unprecedented levels, and Virginia is at the epicenter of the data center boom. How can the commonwealth balance our economic development efforts against the impact of data centers on our electric supply and other infrastructure? Virginia’s investments in data centers have had a cumulative economic development impact. Data centers are an important source of local tax revenue for many rural communities, but I firmly believe that they should be paying their fair share for energy they use and not raising rates for everyone else. We also need to account for other resources needed to support them, including water use and the cost of new electricity transmission built for them. As governor, I look forward to working with local leaders, legislators and community members to lower energy costs for Virginians and make sure we have electricity generation to support future economic growth in every region of our commonwealth.
During your campaign, energy policy and affordability took center stage. What early steps will you take to implement your energy policy priorities for the benefit of electric ratepayers?
No matter where I traveled across Virginia, the high cost of energy was one of the top issues I heard about from families and small businesses on the campaign trail. That’s why before I even took office, I announced a joint Affordable Virginia Agenda, together with General Assembly leaders, which includes legislation focused on lowering energy costs. As part of this effort, my administration is working with legislators to expand energy storage, improve energy efficiency and make other common sense reforms to prevent higher costs from being passed on to consumers. I also announced the creation of a new chief energy officer position within my administration — a first for any Virginia governor — specifically focused on meeting electricity demand and keeping prices low. As governor, I will continue to advance these efforts, and I look forward to considering proposals from anyone — no matter their party — focused on driving down utility bills for Virginians.
Virginia is the largest importer of electricity in the country, and we now rely on PJM and other states’ power generation to maintain our lifestyle and economy. How can Virginia produce more of its own electricity, and what steps will you take during your administration to secure reliability of our electric supply in the decades to come?
Increasing energy generation and putting Virginia on a path toward greater energy independence are top goals of my administration. We must prioritize investing in technologies that can provide sustainable, low-cost power — like nuclear, solar, battery storage and Virginia’s nation-leading offshore wind industry. I also understand that Virginia must meet its immediate energy needs with affordable, reliable energy sources, and natural gas will continue to be part of our energy mix in the coming years. Finally, we must continue to invest in the next generation of energy technologies — including small modular nuclear reactors, fusion, geothermal and hydrogen. My administration looks forward to encouraging further development of these sources to meet our long-term energy needs.
How do you see electric cooperatives fitting into meeting Virginia’s energy needs?
I know that electric cooperatives will be natural partners as my administration works to meet Virginia’s short- and long-term energy needs. Cooperatives know the communities they serve best, have invested in cross-cutting technologies to drive performance and can help make sure our commonwealth implements the types of sustainable, low-cost energy sources that make the most sense. Above all else, my focus will be on addressing the high energy costs that are impacting so many Virginia families — and I believe we can lower bills and boost resilience by working together to deploy distributed generation, increased energy storage, demand‑response and efficiency programs.
How will your administration balance the goals outlined in the Virginia Clean Economy Act while ensuring traditional on-demand energy sources like nuclear and natural gas can operate to meet the immediate and future demand of our data centers and online economy? What new technologies do you see playing a role in that balance?
I believe we can both adhere to the long-term goals outlined in the Virginia Clean Economy Act and increase the supply of affordable energy to lower costs for families in the short term. Above all else, we need to invest in a wide range of generation sources to make sure Virginia is prepared for the future. That includes investing in sources that offer sustainable, low-cost power — and continuing to develop advanced energy technologies. I also know that biomass — particularly biomass managed in such a way as to reduce local pollution and encourage sustainable forest management — should continue to be considered as Virginia works to meet increasing electricity demand.
What role can cooperatives play in attracting new industries or broadband expansion in rural communities?
Electric cooperatives play a vital role in rural economic development by expanding broadband and building off of the infrastructure investments that businesses and agribusinesses need to be successful. We see countless examples across rural Virginia where electric cooperatives are utilizing their existing utility poles and rights-of-way to support broadband expansion, significantly expediting deployment timelines. These rural connectivity expansions foster economic development, give rural Virginians access to educational and telemedicine opportunities, and help level the playing field for rural business owners. As a member of Congress, I was proud to help negotiate and ultimately vote to pass landmark legislation to secure more than $1 billion for broadband internet projects in Virginia. And as governor, I remain committed to helping our commonwealth reach its goal of universal broadband internet access for every Virginia family, business and senior.
Do you have any closing comments for the people working at our 13 Virginia electric cooperatives — from the back office to the frontline maintenance crews — who have dedicated their careers to keeping the lights on for Virginia communities?
Thank you for your relentless commitment to making sure every Virginian can count on reliable energy — no matter where they live. As you know, rising energy demand is one of the top challenges facing our commonwealth, and I strongly believe we must listen to the voices of the men and women who tackle these issues everyday if we are going to find a path forward. As governor, I look forward to hearing directly from you about how my administration can best support your work and the rural communities you serve.
Gov. Spanberger and her husband, Adam, will raise their three daughters — Claire, Charlotte and Catherine — in the Governor’s Mansion as she balances the titles of governor and mother.