** Shares of California-based utility PG&E PCG.N up 1.6% at $15.32

** PGE and Itron enter next phase to expand grid edge tech to cut electrification costs, reduce operations and management to help lower rates, and improve real time detection to curb wildfire risk and outages

** "By using grid-edge technology and real-time data, we can make it easier for our customers to charge an EV at home and for us to detect potential problems with equipment early," says Mike Delaney, PCG's vice president

** PG&E intends to install up to 1,000 new Itron devices through 2026 with plans for scaling to hundreds of thousands of devices

** In 2025, PCG was down 20.4%

(Reporting by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru)

((dharna.bafna@thomsonreuters.com))