PG&E says it has 12.7 GW in data center pipeline as it courts smaller loads

PG&E, the utility serving much of Northern California, says it now has 12.7 gigawatts of data centers in its development pipeline, up from 5.1 gigawatts last quarter. Company executives say the swings in that number reflect stricter screening of projects, not sudden growth. Most of the data centers in the queue are smaller, drawing less than a gigawatt of power, and PG&E expects to serve 1.8 gigawatts of new data center demand by 2030.

Why this matters for homeowners: PG&E's CEO said the goal is to price this new demand so it lowers bills for other customers rather than raising them, since data centers can help spread the fixed costs of the grid across more electricity sales. Whether that actually shows up in your bill depends on how regulators and the company set rates going forward.

Separately, PG&E is asking state regulators for more than $16 billion in revenue as part of a rate case now under review, and it has a $73 billion, five-year spending plan for power lines and generation. The company also faces billions in wildfire liabilities from past fires, including the 2021 Dixie Fire and 2022 Mosquito Fire, and is pushing state lawmakers to strengthen California's wildfire fund. Executives warned that if lawmakers don't act, PG&E may reconsider parts of its spending plan — decisions that, over time, can affect what customers pay on their electric bills.