Seven Nuclear Plants' Worth of Power The Staggering Size of California's Data Center Demand

Seven Nuclear Plants' Worth of Power
The Staggering Size of California's Data Center Demand
Diablo Canyon, California's last operating nuclear power plant, produces about 2,200 megawatts of electricity. It is one of the largest single sources of power in the state. Now imagine needing seven of them. That is roughly what data center developers have requested from PG&E.

The comparison
By December 2025, data center developers had asked PG&E for about 15,000 megawatts of power. Divide that by Diablo Canyon's roughly 2,200 megawatts, and it equals about seven Diablo Canyons' worth of capacity. At full power year-round, 15,000 megawatts would use about 131 billion kilowatt-hours a year, enough for about 16.4 million homes at 8,000 kilowatt-hours per home. California has about 15.06 million homes in total. Not all of these requests will be built, and many are speculative. But signed agreements alone reached about 4,000 megawatts, close to two Diablo Canyons.

Building that much power takes time and money
New power plants, transmission lines and substations take years to plan and build, and they cost billions of dollars. The California Energy Commission projects statewide electricity use could rise more than 50 percent by 2045. Consumer advocates have warned that ratepayers could be left paying for grid upgrades if data center projects fail to deliver expected revenue. Data centers also run around the clock, including during the evening peak, when solar fades and electricity prices climb.

What it means for homeowners
When the grid has to grow this fast, homeowners who depend entirely on it have little control over their costs. Peak hours are likely to stay the most expensive time to buy electricity, and those are exactly the hours data centers keep running.

Choosing your side of the meter
As AI drives up demand, every home will be on one side of the meter. Buying from the grid means paying for growth. Supplying the grid means producing your own solar power, storing it in a battery, and sending extra electricity back for compensation. Some homeowners do not love the idea of supplying a grid that serves data centers. But it beats being on the buying side, paying for seven power plants' worth of new demand.

Becoming your own power plant
Qualifying homeowners can get solar and battery storage through third-party ownership programs without buying or financing equipment. With SB 913, California is developing a method to value battery power sent to the grid during high demand.

The takeaway
Data center demand is measured in nuclear power plants. Homeowners can become their own small power plant, with savings that can reach up to 40 percent compared with utility rates, depending on the home and program.

To find out if your home qualifies for a TPO solar and battery program, visit myhomesolution.org/california_public_utility_commissions