California's primary electrical utility PG&E has reported a marginal increase in its data center pipeline, with 12.87GW of requests, compared to 12.71GW reported in July this year.

The utility revealed the figures during its Q3 earnings call, where CEO Patricia Poppe said the utility is focused on grid modernization to support 1.8GW of potential data center demand through 2030.

Of the reported 12.87GW, 8.35GW is in the application and preliminary engineering phase, 3.88GW is in the final engineering phase, 400MW is in the interconnection construction agreement phase, and 240MW is in the construction phase.

This is an increase from 140MW, which was reported in June. Its previous results had seen the utility’s data center pipeline more than double, with Poppe at the time accepting that not all of the projects are likely to see the light of day.

“We are continuing to build a high-quality data center pipeline and providing visibility into how projects advance from application to energization,” said Poppe.

“Since 2024, we have brought 174MW of data center projects online. As we look to bring more of our pipeline into service, our focus will continue to be on doing so in a way that will improve affordability for existing customers."

The utility is currently awaiting a decision from the California Public Utilities Commission on an agreement with Google to construct a 250MW data center in San Jose. However, the project, which requires the construction of a 230kV switching station, underground lines, and a connection to a high-voltage line, has faced delays and opposition.

The utility also said that it has reduced its capital plan by $2 billion in response to sub-investment-grade borrowing costs, but added that it continues to pursue a ten-year, 5,000-mile (8,046km) undergrounding initiative to enhance system safety. Despite the reduction, PG&E said that it earned $2.285bn in the third quarter, up $2.281bn from the same period a year earlier.

The utility made several notable announcements within the data center space in 2025. Early last year, the company signed a first-of-its-kind Implementation Agreement with the City of San Jose to streamline and guarantee power delivery for data centers and other large load customers.

The utility has also recently partnered with smart transmission firm Smart Wires on a new project aiming to enhance grid reliability and support the growth of data center energy consumption in San Jose.