Nov 5 (Reuters) - U.S. electric utility PPL Corp ( PPL )

signed agreements to connect 20.5 gigawatts of new data center

customers in Pennsylvania to its system by the end of the third

financial quarter, a 40% increase from the previous quarter,

executives with the company said on Wednesday.

The proliferation of Big Tech's giant data centers is

propelling U.S. electricity consumption to record highs, and

heaping demand on the country's electric utilities for grid

connections and new power supply.

By September 30, which marks the end of the third quarter,

PPL had entered into energy service agreements or letters of

authority with data center customers totaling 20.5 gigawatts of

demand. Twenty gigawatts is enough to power nearly all of the

homes in the state of Pennsylvania three times over.

Those agreements require financial commitments from data

center developers and end users and increase the certainty that

the sites will eventually connect, PPL executives told analysts

on a conference call after releasing third-quarter results.

Other potential data center customers who do not have signed

agreements, and who represent about 70 gigawatts of power, are

also seeking to connect to PPL, the company said.

PPL generates and delivers electricity to nearly 3.5 million

homes, businesses and industrial customers across Pennsylvania,

Kentucky and Rhode Island.

Earlier on Wednesday, PPL beat third-quarter adjusted profit

estimates, helped by higher sales volume on the back of warmer

weather conditions in its service areas.

Utilities are also increasing capital spending to upgrade

grid infrastructure in response to rising power demand, as they

field massive requests for new power capacity from data centers,

which are the server warehouses that support technologies like

artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

In October, PPL received approval from the Kentucky Public

Service Commission to construct two new 645-megawatt natural gas

combined-cycle units, which are scheduled for operation from

2030 and 2031, respectively.

PPL's quarterly operating revenue rose to $2.24 billion from

$2.07 billion a year earlier.

The company narrowed its full-year earnings forecast range

to $1.78-$1.84 per share from its prior range of $1.75-$1.87 -

the midpoint remains unchanged.

The Allentown, Pennsylvania-based company posted an adjusted

profit of 48 cents per share in the third quarter, compared with

analysts' estimates of 46 cents, according to data compiled by

LSEG.