Article

California energy regulators have increased projections for data center electricity use, forecasting significant demand growth through midcentury. The California Energy Commission reported that Pacific Gas and Electric's (PG&E) requests for data center energy capacity rose from approximately 12,000 megawatts in September to about 15,000 megawatts by December.

This increase is attributed to projects in the 'inquiry' stage, which have not yet submitted formal applications. Additionally, PG&E's executed agreements for data center capacity surged from 2,000 megawatts to 4,000 megawatts. Following nearly two decades of stable electricity demand, regulators now estimate that California's electricity consumption could increase by over 50% by 2045, with an annual energy growth rate potentially exceeding 4% by 2030.