New And Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Variable Interest Entities	Variable Interest Entities A VIE is an entity that does not have sufficient equity at risk to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties, or whose equity investors lack any characteristics of a controlling financial interest. An enterprise that has a controlling financial interest in a VIE is a primary beneficiary and is required to consolidate the VIE. Some of the counterparties to the Utility’s power purchase agreements are considered VIEs. Each of these VIEs was designed to own a power plant that would generate electricity for sale to the Utility. To determine whether the Utility has a controlling interest or was the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs at March 31, 2017, the Utility assessed whether it absorbs any of the VIE’s expected losses or receives any portion of the VIE’s expected residual returns under the terms of the power purchase agreement, analyzed the variability in the VIE’s gross margin, and considered whether it had any decision-making rights associated with the activities that are most significant to the VIE’s performance, such as dispatch rights and operating and maintenance activities. The Utility’s financial obligation is limited to the amount the Utility pays for delivered electricity and capacity. The Utility did not have any decision-making rights associated with any of the activities that are most significant to the economic performance of any of these VIEs. Since the Utility was not the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs at March 31, 2017, it did not consolidate any of them.
Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance	Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance Share-Based Payment Accounting In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), which amends the existing guidance relating to the accounting for share-based payment awards issued to employees, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statements of cash flows. PG&E Corporation and the Utility have adopted this standard as of the fourth quarter of 2016. ASU 2016-09 requires, on a retrospective basis, that employee taxes paid for withheld shares be classified as cash flows from financing activities rather than as cash flows from operating activities. As such, the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for PG&E Corporation and the Utility for the prior periods presented were restated. This change resulted in an increase to cash flows from operating activities and a decrease to cash flows from financing activities of $32.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016.

New And Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

A VIE is an entity that does not have sufficient equity at risk to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties, or whose equity investors lack any characteristics of a controlling financial interest. An enterprise that has a controlling financial interest in a VIE is a primary beneficiary and is required to consolidate the VIE.

Some of the counterparties to the Utility’s power purchase agreements are considered VIEs. Each of these VIEs was designed to own a power plant that would generate electricity for sale to the Utility. To determine whether the Utility has a controlling interest or was the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs at March 31, 2017, the Utility assessed whether it absorbs any of the VIE’s expected losses or receives any portion of the VIE’s expected residual returns under the terms of the power purchase agreement, analyzed the variability in the VIE’s gross margin, and considered whether it had any decision-making rights associated with the activities that are most significant to the VIE’s performance, such as dispatch rights and operating and maintenance activities. The Utility’s financial obligation is limited to the amount the Utility pays for delivered electricity and capacity. The Utility did not have any decision-making rights associated with any of the activities that are most significant to the economic performance of any of these VIEs. Since the Utility was not the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs at March 31, 2017, it did not consolidate any of them.

Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

Share-Based Payment Accounting

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), which amends the existing guidance relating to the accounting for share-based payment awards issued to employees, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statements of cash flows. PG&E Corporation and the Utility have adopted this standard as of the fourth quarter of 2016.

ASU 2016-09 requires, on a retrospective basis, that employee taxes paid for withheld shares be classified as cash flows from financing activities rather than as cash flows from operating activities. As such, the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for PG&E Corporation and the Utility for the prior periods presented were restated. This change resulted in an increase to cash flows from operating activities and a decrease to cash flows from financing activities of $32.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016.