Sustainability assessment for electric utilities

ADI assessed how sustainability priorities are influencing actual capital allocation across electric utilities, with a focus on transmission, distribution, and grid digitalization. The work drew on utility‑level benchmarks covering decarbonization targets, resilience investments, and governance structures, supplemented by interviews with sustainability and planning leaders. Emphasis was placed on distinguishing aspirational ESG commitments from areas driving near‑term procurement and vendor selection.

The client

Global industrial technology leader

The situation

Utilities faced mounting ESG pressure but lacked clarity on where decarbonization, grid resilience, and digital spend would concentrate.

ADI’s contributions

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Proprietary utility benchmarking

Leveraged ADI’s proprietary database of utility sustainability initiatives, KPIs, and governance models built across prior studies.

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Primary sustainability interviews

Conducted targeted interviews with utility sustainability leaders to validate how ESG goals translate into capital programs.

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Competitive solution mapping

Benchmarked competitor offerings against utility needs to identify defensible differentiation and whitespace.

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Engagement prioritization

Identified regions and utility profiles where sustainability pressure most directly drives near‑term procurement decisions.

Key outcomes

  • Enabled sustainability‑led targeting toward transmission and distribution segments where investment intensity and urgency are structurally rising, strengthening long‑term positioning.
Client Results
ADI took our energy transition strategy to the next level. They brought rigorous analysis and detailed market forecasts that gave us the hard data we needed to present to our leadership team. It was a phenomenal experience from start to finish.
Alex Robart Energy & Sustainability Leader, Microsoft

Industry experience

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North American transmission market assessment

ADI analyzed North American transmission demand by asset class, end market, and application to clarify where grid modernization and electrification are driving sustained equipment investment. Proprietary asset‑level segmentation was used to connect reliability mandates, renewable integration, and load growth to spending cycles. The results translated market signals into clear implications for manufacturing focus and capacity […]

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