NextGrid Alliance Surpasses 150 Member Utilities to Speed the Future of Energy

"To support the rapid rise of AI data centers, electric vehicles and other new technologies customers need the grid of the future–today," said Steve Smith, chief strategy and regulation officer of National Grid and president of National Grid Partners, which convenes the alliance. "NGA members have made impressive strides sharing innovations that can scale energy production and more efficiently match dynamic supply and demand for a cost-efficient, reliable grid. We are moving faster together to enable electricity networks to meet this moment."

"To support the rapid rise of AI data centers, electric vehicles and other new technologies customers need the grid of the future–today," said Steve Smith, chief strategy and regulation officer of National Grid and president of National Grid Partners, which convenes the alliance. "NGA members have made impressive strides sharing innovations that can scale energy production and more efficiently match dynamic supply and demand for a cost-efficient, reliable grid. We are moving faster together to enable electricity networks to meet this moment."

NGA member utilities reach more than 1.3 billion customers across more than 5 million square miles of service area. The NGA holds regular member forums, working groups, and technology showcases where utilities and startups dig into some of the toughest challenges and most promising solutions in the industry.

"It's a real balancing act for utilities as customers want more power, more connections, more resilience, but also want to keep costs as low as possible," said Timothy Jarratt, group executive of market development and strategy at Ausgrid, one of the largest electricity distributors in Australia. "Nearly every utility is facing similar challenges, and joining the NextGrid Alliance stood out as a valuable step to help us learn from the best how to take on the challenges of today–and tomorrow."

The NGA also hosts an annual summit where hundreds of utility and startup leaders share insights in person; the 2025 edition will be held in Boston on October 8-9, 2025. Guest speakers will include Richard Donaldson, senior vice president and Chief Information Officer at Duke Energy; Ricardo da Silva, vice president of Strategic Operations at the New York Power Authority; and Melissa Lott, Partner General Manager, Energy Technologies at Microsoft.

"We see the NGA as instrumental in connecting innovative companies to utilities that are proactively seeking to reimagine their grids," said Vishal Kapadia, CEO of LineVision. The Boston-based company delivers grid-enhancing technology solutions that help electric utilities deliver affordable, reliable power and accelerate electrification of the global economy.

Southern California Edison is collaborating with another National Grid-backed startup, Exodigo, to explore ways to accelerate transmission routing and reduce complexity in substation capital risk. Exodigo uses advanced sensor data and proprietary artificial intelligence to map underground infrastructure, offering a method for gaining faster, safer and more accurate insights into subsurface conditions at project sites.

"We are on the same journey of transforming how we plan, design and operate the grid," said Shinjini Menon, SVP of System Planning & Engineering, Southern California Edison. "Learning about the different technologies and innovation models through the NGA has been fantastic."

Added Exodigo CEO Jeremy Suard: "Exposure through the NextGrid Alliance has driven progress on several deployments, including our latest project with SCE. We look forward to building on our momentum across the utility industry."

The NGA is convened by National Grid Partners, the venture and innovation arm of global utility National Grid. Since its founding in 2018, National Grid Partners has invested more than $520 million in startups advancing the future of energy; and it recently committed another $100 million to artificial intelligence startups supporting a smarter, more resilient grid and boosting energy security.

About the NextGrid Alliance
The NextGrid Alliance unites leading energy providers to help utilities to solve today's most pressing challenges and create the grid of the future. By sharing best practices and connecting top utility executives with innovative startups, the NGA helps the utility industry reduce costs for customers, optimize efficiency, and scale energy production to meet the needs of today's most innovative markets. Learn more at ngalliance.energy.

About National Grid Partners
National Grid Partners is the venture investment and innovation arm of National Grid plc., one of the world's largest investor-owned energy utilities. By providing corporate venture capital, business development counsel and direct integration with National Grid's innovation teams, National Grid Partners is reducing costs, boosting capacity and accelerating innovation at scale. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, National Grid Partners has offices in Boston, London, and New York. Visit ngpartners.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

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