Energy Strategy

In the face of slower growth, rapidly changing technologies, and policy and market uncertainties, modern businesses in developed markets must consider alternative business models and improved execution to deliver strong economic growth to shareholders. Our team works with major energy, industrial, and chemical companies to develop coherent corporate strategies, integrating industry trends to meet the company’s unique growth, value, and risk requirements. This includes portfolio realignment, based on evolving market opportunities and trends, acquisition and divestiture strategies, and new business development and market entry, to position for future growth.

Our team offers support for planners, system operators, regulators, solution providers, and market participants developing future grid strategies, roadmaps, investment plans, business cases, cost benefit analysis, testimony support, and other services associated with grid modernization. This includes helping utilities plan and obtain approval for investments in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), distribution automation (DA), distributed energy resources (DER), storage, and other systems required to support grid resiliency and flexibility. A major driver is the dramatic growth in DER, and grid intelligence that requires new approaches to grid architecture, planning and the need to demonstrate value to customers. Utilities must now account for DER growth in all major decisions, from IRPs to grid modernization plans that stay ahead of both regulatory and customer trends. CRA uses robust in-house models to project long-term DER penetration from the bottom up and offers detailed insights into how increased DER penetration will impact major investment and resource planning decisions.

Our experts help financial and strategic investors identify investment opportunities in markets where they have limited experience. CRA has advised clients on investments in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Support has included developing market entry strategies and related due diligence around various asset classes, including natural gas midstream and LDCs, electric utilities, power generation, and electric transmission.

The utility industry is facing unprecedented change that will result in the most significant disruption of the industry in decades. The drivers include decarbonization and climate change policy; technology advancements in renewable and distributed resources; and communications, controls, and analytics that are changing the way utilities operate and engage with their customers. Regulatory changes are lagging these transformations, and the result is that companies are facing significantly more risk across their business, that will impact investments, cost recovery, and returns. Our team uses flexible, robust frameworks and powerful in-house models to uniquely view allocation decisions through the lens of the customer, regulator, and shareholder. Our work is relied upon by utility executives to inform both business and regulatory strategy.