West Virginia Law Sets 50-Gigawatt Energy Expansion Goal
Critics warn the energy law favors fossil fuels and could raise utility bills.
April 10, 2026 – West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed legislation Thursday setting a long-term energy strategy to expand the state’s power generation capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2050.
The legislation, House Bill 5381, replaces older, fragmented energy statutes with a single comprehensive framework. Part of Morrisey’s “50 by 50” generation plan, the law seeks to increase the state’s energy capacity from 16 to 50 gigawatts, and will take effect on June 12.
“This legislation is designed to codify the work that we’ve been doing out of the Office of Energy,” Morrisey said, signing the bill in Clarksburg. “Energy is going to be a huge part of the [economic] comeback of West Virginia.”
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