Accenture to Expand Smart Grid Operations and Energy Trading and Risk Management Services Through Acquisition of Structure

From Accenture:

January 06, 2015

Accenture to Expand Smart Grid Operations and Energy Trading and Risk Management Services Through Acquisition of Structure

HOUSTON; Jan. 6, 2014 – Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Structure, a provider of consulting, system integration and customized solutions and services to energy and utilities clients. The transaction will expand and enhance Accenture’s deep experience and capabilities in smart grid solutions, especially grid operations, as well as energy commodity trading and risk management (CTRM).

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the acquisition is subject to regulatory review and other customary closing conditions.

“Bringing together two very similar cultures with deep skills in the utilities and energy industries reinforces our ability to help our clients solve some of the most complex and critical challenges that lie at the heart of the digital transformation,” said Omar Abbosh, senior managing director, Accenture Resources operating group. “Structure’s capabilities in grid operations and power systems engineering, combined with Accenture’s global strengths in information technology (IT), will provide our clients with comprehensive end-to-end solutions and services to support the integration of operational technologies with IT systems, forging a path toward a smarter, more digital grid.

“This includes the deployment of advanced distribution management systems and automation solutions, as well as improved outage management and grid analytics. We also plan to combine Structure’s market operations and commodities trading services with Accenture’s capabilities in digital asset management to help our clients optimize their commercial positions.”

Structure has been consistently recognized in its field since 2010 with more than a dozen industry awards for growth, advisory services and solutions that make utilities and energy clients’ transformational strategies achievable.

“Joining forces with Accenture will provide our clients and our employees with a unique opportunity to extend our capabilities to offer critical business solutions on a global scale,” said Lelon Winstead, Structure managing partner.  “We believe Structure’s end-to-end expertise in smart grid, commodities trading and market operations aligns well with Accenture’s grid operations and energy commodities trading businesses. Accenture is a strong strategic fit with our offerings, presence and capabilities in a very complementary manner. We share very similar company cultures focused on delivery excellence, strong client relations and deep industry experience and specialization.”

Founded in 1998, Structure is based in Houston. Its more than 190 employees will operate within Accenture’s Resources operating group.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About Structure
Structure is a leading provider of business advisory, system integration and customized solution development services focused exclusively on the energy and utilities industries. Structure relies on deep industry expertise and proven methodologies to deliver energy technology platforms for the next generation across Energy Trading and Risk Management, Smart Grid / Distribution Operations / Distribution Automation, SCADA and Energy Management Systems, and Competitive Energy Market Solutions. Its website is: www.thestructuregroup.com.

Forward Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: the company and Structure will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties’ ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for the company; the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; the company’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions, and a significant reduction in such demand could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if the company is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; the markets in which the company competes are highly competitive, and the company might not be able to compete effectively; the company could have liability or the company’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data or information systems as obligated by law or contract or if the company’s information systems are breached; the company’s results of operations and ability to grow could be materially negatively affected if the company cannot adapt and expand its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings by new entrants; the company’s results of operations could materially suffer if the company is not able to obtain sufficient pricing to enable it to meet its profitability expectations; if the company does not accurately anticipate the cost, risk and complexity of performing its work or if the third parties upon whom it relies do not meet their commitments, then the company’s contracts could have delivery inefficiencies and be less profitable than expected or unprofitable; the company’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the company’s profitability could suffer if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful, and the company may not be able to improve its profitability through improvements to cost-management to the degree it has done in the past; the company’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; the company’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; the company might not be successful at identifying, acquiring or integrating businesses or entering into joint ventures; the company’s Global Delivery Network is increasingly concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; changes in the company’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in the company’s treatment as an Irish company, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations and financial condition; as a result of the company’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; adverse changes to the company’s relationships with key alliance partners or in the business of its key alliance partners could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; the company’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others; if the company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties, its business could be adversely affected; the company’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; many of the company’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; if the company is unable to collect its receivables or unbilled services, the company’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected; if the company is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; the company’s share price and results of operations could fluctuate and be difficult to predict; the company’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that the company makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; the company may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.
 

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Most Countries Need Major Changes in Systems for Sourcing and Consuming Energy to Support Future Demand Growth, Reports Accenture and World Economic Forum

News release:

June 13, 2012

Most Countries Need Major Changes in Systems for Sourcing and Consuming Energy to Support Future Demand Growth, Reports Accenture and World Economic Forum

 

Framework developed to help decision-makers assess, plan and support transition to future energy requirements

 

NEW YORK, June 13, 2012 – The continued increase in energy consumption, which is expected to grow by approximately 40 percent by 2035¹,will require significant changes in countries’ energy architectures as they try to meet the demands of economic growth, environmental sustainability and energy security, finds a joint report by Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and the World Economic Forum.

 

The report, New Energy Architecture: Enabling an Effective Transition, notes the shift to new energy architecture to secure sustainable and affordable energy will entail trade-offs and difficult choices for society. It also notes the path countries take to transform their energy architecture will have some common features – efficient, low-carbon and increasingly electrified systems -- but will vary according to their stage of economic development and their resource endowment.

 

“The scale and complexity of the energy industry calls for government, industry and civil society to be actively engaged in a dialogue and in managing the energy transition,” said Arthur Hanna, managing director, Accenture Energy industry group, and member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on New Energy Architecture. “Decisions to resolve the challenges of how energy is sourced, supplied and consumed cannot be made without a complete analysis and a baseline from which to work from.”

 

To help decision-makers in planning and driving an effective transition and to assess their progress, Accenture and the World Economic Forum have developed an Energy Architecture Performance Index. 124 countries were assessed across three dimensions: economic growth and development, environmental security, and energy access and security, which revealed much more needs to be done to accelerate the transition to meet future demands and towards energy efficiency. The assessment shows while almost all of the countries have improved the efficiency of their energy sector, the share of non-carbon energy in the total primary energy supply is still less than 5 percent for 69 of them. A surprising number also continue to struggle to meet their citizens’ basic energy needs: in 31 countries, over 50 percent of the population continues to use solid fuels for cooking purposes.

 

Energy Architecture Performance Index of 124 countries: Assessment based on Environmental Sustainability KPI

 

Source: New Energy Architecture: Enabling an Effective Transition

 

Roberto Bocca, senior director, head of energy industries, World Economic Forum, said, “Never before have we experienced such pressure for change in the way we source, supply and consume energy. Decision-makers must understand how their countries are affected by the changing dynamics and how they can effectively create desired change, as the choices they make will determine the speed, direction and cost of the transition."

 

To highlight the practical applications of the framework, two deep-dive country studies were completed in the report on India and Japan. The study on India underlined the challenges posed by supply bottlenecks, which present a considerable risk to the nation’s future growth. The authors suggest that India consider creating a unified energy regulator to support the expansion of its renewables sector; promote the development of decentralized distribution and generation to expand energy access; and rationalize energy prices through the gradual phase-out of subsidies. The Japan study underlined the “crisis of confidence” facing its energy sector in the wake of last year’s earthquake and tsunami. The report suggests that Japan consider establishing a fully independent nuclear regulatory agency; complete a full cost-benefit analysis of market liberalization in the electricity sector; and support the development of pan-Asian energy infrastructure.

 

About New Energy Architecture: Enabling an Effective Transition

The New Energy Architecture report benefited from the guidance and support of the World Economic Forum’s Industry Partners, as well as the Global Agenda Council on New Energy Architecture, and was produced in collaboration with Accenture. 

 

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 246,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$25.5 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2011. Its home page is www.accenture.com

 

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