Power and Utilities Industry Consulting & Strategy

Strategy for the Next Decade

With the evolution of today’s energy market, companies in the power and utilities industry must be prepared to reinvent themselves. New and more stringent regulations, novel forms of competition (even for regulated utilities), and questions about the best ways for power and gas grids to navigate the energy transition and integrate conventional and renewable power supplies are plaguing the industry.

At the same time, digital is transforming how utilities serve customers, identify market opportunities, and plan for long-term growth. To thrive in this environment, utilities must reexamine and, in many cases, transform their business models to focus on full-scale digital transformation and decarbonization.

Our Power and Utilities Services

Conventional Power Generation

In a challenging environment, BCG helps companies regain competitiveness and fund the journey to prepare for the future.

Large-Scale Renewables

Companies turn to BCG to deliver value through strategy, scale, and new technologies in the reusable energy sector.

Transmission & Distribution

BCG helps networks navigate disruptions and transform for the future.

Sales & Services

With a range of techniques, BCG works with retailers to upgrade their strategy and operations.

Commodity Trading & Risk Management

Clients throughout the power industry work with BCG to maximize the value of their power portfolio and discover other valuable solutions.

Distributed Energy Resources

Clients work with BCG to adapt their business models for distributed energy resources challenges and opportunities.

Gas Supply Portfolio

BCG’s deep expertise helps clients optimize their gas supply portfolios.

For more topics related to the power and utilities industry, read about supply chain management, large capital project management, and procurement.

Transformation in Power and Utilities

BCG works with power and utilities industry clients around the globe to unlock solutions across the entire value chain of their portfolio, creating long-lasting growth and a clear path ahead.

BCG’s utility consulting teams help their global clients undertake five crucial steps in to reinvent themselves:

Decarbonize and transition from fossil-based to renewable energy sources
Build a strategy to fund the energy transition and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement
Reorganize for innovation and agility while managing costs
Leverage digital to become a bionic company by combining the best of technology and humanity
Embrace new business models to continuously create value for customers throughout the industry

How BCG Delivers Impact in Power and Utilities

BCG delivers lasting change to our power and utilities industry clients around the globe. Read about the impact we’ve had and the solutions we bring.

Climate Neutral By 2035

Eneco, a Rotterdam-based energy company, recently announced an ambitious plan to become carbon neutral by 2035. BCG’s Christophe Brognaux spoke with As Tempelman, Eneco’s CEO, to learn the story behind the “One Planet” plan—and why Tempelman believes it’s so important to act now on climate change.

global-energy-scenarios-model-thumbnail-tcm9-232132.jpg

Global Energy Scenario Model

Amid the challenges of decarbonization, climate change, volatile energy prices, and regulatory changes, BCG’s global energy scenario model helps companies make the best decisions possible.

generation-operations-health-check-i4-thumbnail-tcm9-232396.jpg

Digital Health Check: Power Generation Digitization

BCG’s digitization health check helps power generators better understand and optimize their use of digital technologies.

utility-reduces-churn-boosts-profits-thumbnail-tcm9-232430.jpg

Utility Reduces Churn and Boosts Profits

BCG worked with a major European player in the utility market to design a strategy that would reduce customer attrition in the face of intensifying competition.

lean-transformation-generation-thumbnail-tcm9-232392.jpg

A Utility Transforms Its Operations and Culture

BCG worked with a large international energy utility to overhaul its core business and culture, resulting in substantial gains in operating efficiency and overall business performance.

Meet BCG’s Power and Utilities Leaders

Find more power and utilities experts

Our Centers of Expertise

Center for Energy Impact

The Center for Energy Impact (CEI) engages a changing industry in new and different ways by providing challenging ideas to drive long-term success for energy companies around the world. Through this center, our energy consulting teams—specializing in both oil and gas and power and utilities—shape thinking about the future availability, economics, and sustainability of the world's energy sources. They also explore implications of industry-altering, unforeseen events like the pandemic for energy companies and their portfolios.

Digital Transformation in Power and Utilities

BCG’s Center for Digital in Power and Utilities uses deep utility consulting experience, combined with extensive digital capabilities, to help companies leverage insightful data analytics, innovative business models, and world-class technologies to build new offerings, transform core businesses, and establish a solid foundation for end-to-end digital transformation.

The Center for Climate Action

We partner with clients across the public, private, and social sectors to align their strategy, operations, and stakeholder engagement with decarbonization and alternative energy business opportunities. Our work is supported by BCG’s range of consulting experience across all industries and capabilities.

Our Latest Thinking in the Power and Utilities Sector

Value Creation in Power and Utilities 2020

Players that shift from centralized conventional generation toward a more distributed and digital approach are likely to become the next decade’s value creation leaders.

Octopus Energy’s Cutting-Edge Customer Service: An Interview with Jon Paull

The company’s director of operations explains how the startup energy retailer provides a top-notch experience while keeping costs down.

Explore more of our latest thinking in the power and utilities industry

Dispatch from Davos: Energy Companies and the Race to Save the Planet Energy companies are leveraging technology and collaboration to decarbonize their business, transition to new sources of energy, and build a cleaner future."

Read on LinkedIn

Alan Thomson

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Houston

Transformation, the New Norm in Energy in the 2020s Always-on transformation is becoming the default state in the energy industry. Read on LinkedIn >>

Björn Ewers

Managing Director & Partner, Middle East

Energy transition: the new and necessary mindset for the energy sector At last week’s Mexican Energy Forum, I gave a keynote on a topic of serious importance to energy sector leaders everywhere: Disruption is coming, and you’re probably not ready."

Read on LinkedIn

Paul Goydan

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Houston

The Mounting Economic Logic of Climate Action Climate action has moved to center stage as a critical political, economic and business topic. But governments and business executives struggle to agree on what actions to take and with what urgency. Read on LinkedIn >>

Patrick Herhold

Managing Director & Partner

Munich

Four Steps to Digitize Workforce Management at Utilities In our work with leading utilities, we’ve found that companies can reap significant benefits even if they take just the first steps towards a fully digitized future. Read on LinkedIn >>