Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has appointed Chelle Izzi as its Chief Commercial Officer, a newly created position. Izzi will be responsible for shaping the company’s commercial strategy to address California’s increasing energy needs, with a focus on large electric customers such as data centers powered by artificial intelligence.
The company stated that serving these large and expanding electric customers is expected to drive load growth, which could lower costs for all PG&E customers. The expansion is also anticipated to support local economies through job creation, increased investment, and higher revenue for public services.
Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E Corporation, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Chelle to the PG&E family as we continue to work every day to provide clean, resilient energy and create prosperity for the customers and hometowns we serve. Chelle’s expertise will help us find new ways to serve California’s growing electric demand while staying focused on affordability for our customers.”
Izzi brings over 25 years of experience in clean energy. Her background includes roles at Constellation and CPower in competitive retail markets, infrastructure development at NextEra Energy Resources, and experience as a major PG&E customer during her time at Walmart. She plans to use this experience to help PG&E manage the complexities of large-load customers and pursue new opportunities for growth.
“PG&E’s electric demand will reach new levels as large commercial customers bring projects online and electrify their vehicle fleets,” Izzi said. “Meeting this transformational moment requires a strategic and streamlined approach to deliver for these high-growth customers. I’m passionate about accelerating the energy transition, and there is no better time or place to do so than today at PG&E.”
PG&E projects that electricity demand on its grid could double by 2040 due in part to growth from industries like technology, agriculture, retail, education, manufacturing, government—and especially data centers. Data centers alone could add up to 10 gigawatts of demand—enough power for 7.5 million homes—which may result in lower per-customer costs if fixed expenses are spread across more users. For each additional gigawatt of data center demand added, customer bills could decrease by 1%–2%. A total increase of 10 gigawatts might reduce bills by 10% or more.
Similarly, adding one million electric vehicles (EVs) would also reduce customer bills by at least 1%.
Izzi has led several ventures in the EV fleet sector including Walmart’s public EV charging network; Greenlane—a zero-emission fleet network; and NextEra Mobility. Earlier positions include senior leadership roles at Constellation Energy and the United Nations Office for Project Services.
She holds an MBA in Finance and Economics from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
PG&E serves over 16 million people across Northern and Central California as both a natural gas and electric utility. More information can be found at pge.com/news.
For further details: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clean-energy-pioneer-chelle-izzi-named-pge-chief-commercial-officer-302613542.html
