Debt (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				0 Months Ended								0 Months Ended
	May 31, 2011 years	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Apr. 27, 2009	Dec. 31, 2005	Sep. 30, 2011 Senior Notes, 4.25% [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Senior Notes, 3.25% [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Floating Rate Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Energy Recovery Bonds [Member]	May 31, 2011 Pacific Gas And Electric Company [Member] years	Sep. 30, 2011 Pacific Gas And Electric Company [Member]	Sep. 12, 2011 Pacific Gas And Electric Company [Member]	Jun. 08, 2011 Pacific Gas And Electric Company [Member]	May 13, 2011 Pacific Gas And Electric Company [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Pacific Gas And Electric Company [Member]	Apr. 27, 2009 Pacific Gas And Electric Company [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Utility [Member]	May 31, 2011 PGE Corporation And Utility [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 PGE Corporation And Utility [Member]
Line of credit facility, cash borrowings		$ 75,000,000															$ 0
Letters of credit outstanding																	335,000,000
Commercial paper outstanding																	801,000,000
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity	300,000,000									3,000,000,000
Line of credit facility replaced borrowing capacity				187,000,000									750,000,000			1,900,000,000
Line of credit facility, term	5									5
Debt instrument, face amount								250,000,000				250,000,000		300,000,000
Debt instrument, redemption value																	200,000,000
Interest rate for the floating rate senior notes								0.83%
Interest including LIBOR on credit facilities		Borrowings under the revolving credit facilities (other than swingline loans) will bear interest based, at PG&E Corporation's and the Utility's election, on (1) a London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus an applicable margin or (2) the base rate plus an applicable margin. The base rate will equal the higher of the following: the administrative agent's announced base rate, 0.5% above the federal funds rate, or the one-month LIBOR plus an applicable margin. Interest is payable quarterly in arrears, or earlier for loans with shorter interest periods.
Energy recovery bonds issued to refinance a regulatory asset					2,700,000,000
Energy recovery bond		110,000,000	423,000,000						528,000,000		110,000,000				423,000,000
Expiration date for credit agreement																		May 31, 2016
Right to increase commitments		$ 100,000,000																	$ 500,000,000
Debt covenant ratio of total consolidated debt to total consolidated capitalization percentage		65.00%
Senior notes, maturity date						May 15, 2021	Sep. 15, 2021
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage												3.25%		4.25%
Line of credit facility, interest rate at period end		1.42%
Required ownership of common stock		80.00%
Required ownership of voting capital stock		70.00%