EDF Teams with Accenture and Kraken Technologies to Accelerate Customer Transformation

June 03, 2024 at 02:59 AM EDT

Initiative supported by a broader Accenture and Kraken ecosystem partnership focused on helping utilities transform customer experience

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Kraken Technologies are helping EDF’s UK retail business accelerate the migration of customers to its new platform, enabling them to effectively manage their energy use and cost.

EDF has migrated over five million meter points in the UK onto Kraken, the technology behind Octopus Energy. Kraken integrates electricity and gas customers and operating data using advanced analytics, AI and machine learning.

“With Accenture and Kraken’s support, we are reimagining a simpler, customer-centric business, so that our customers are equipped to make better energy choices,” said Richard Hughes, Retail Energy Director, EDF in the UK. “This team’s extensive technology and industry expertise advances our company’s strategy of growing our base of energy-retail customers through digital transformation.”

Scott Tinkler, a senior managing director and global Utilities lead at Accenture, added, “The leading utilities are laser-focused on strengthening and modernising their digital core so they can better manage the accelerated rate of change in the industry while increasing customer satisfaction. This transformation for EDF is a powerful example of how Accenture and Kraken team up to help our clients continuously reinvent their businesses to drive agility and unlock new value for their customers.”

The work with EDF is enabled by a broader ecosystem partnership between Accenture and Kraken, through which Accenture will support organizations, scale the Kraken technology and deliver customer services globally.

Gavin Patterson, chairman at Kraken Technologies, said, “Kraken opens the door for affordable clean energy and outstanding customer service. Together, Accenture and Kraken can help EDF and other utilities and their customers benefit from a range of services, such as variable pricing when renewable energy sources are abundant, putting money back into people’s pockets while alleviating pressure on the grid.”

The companies will work to accelerate the global adoption of smart energy products, from wind farms to smart meters, through the AI-enabled tech platform, which integrates the energy value chain – ranging from energy usage and industry data to weather forecasts. This will allow utilities to reduce costs, manage customer energy usage more efficiently and improve services.

Built by the utility industry for the utility industry, the Kraken platform has been contracted to manage more than 54 million accounts globally through deals with energy companies including Octopus Energy, as well as water and broadband utilities.

About EDF

EDF is helping Britain achieve Net Zero by leading the transition to a cleaner, low emission, electric future and tackling climate change. It is the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity⁽¹⁾ and supplies millions of customers with electricity and gas. It generates low carbon electricity from five nuclear power stations and more than thirty onshore wind farms and two offshore wind farms.

EDF is leading the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C, and there are advanced plans for a replica at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 14% of UK demand and power around 12 million homes.

EDF is one of the UK’s largest investors in renewables, with more than 1.5GW of renewable generation in operation and almost 14GW in planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage. We are constructing our largest offshore wind farm in Britain—the 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe project in Scotland.

EDF is helping its customers, both in business and at home, take their first steps to sustainably powering their lives. Whether it is buying an electric car, generating and storing electricity, selling energy back to the grid or installing a heat pump. EDF is one of the largest suppliers to British business and a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping businesses become more energy independent. In addition, the company’s energy services business, Dalkia, is one of the largest technical service providers in the UK and Ireland.

EDF is part of EDF Group, the world’s biggest electricity generator. In the UK, the company employs around 14,000 people at locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 742,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About Kraken Technologies

Kraken Technologies offers a best-in-class end-to-end platform for energy supply and is operating in the UK, Japan, US, New Zealand, Australia, and most of mainland Europe. Kraken’s proprietary platform is contracted to serve 54 million customer accounts across the globe through licensees. Its first client was Octopus Energy, where Kraken manages 7.7 million retail customers globally and over 60,000 business customers (the largest of which is Arsenal FC).

Based on advanced data and machine learning capabilities, Kraken automates much of the energy supply chain to allow outstanding service and efficiency as the world transitions to a decentralised, decarbonised energy system. Kraken is contracted to manage more than 42 gigawatts in utility scale assets. These span a wide range of technologies, from off-shore wind to grid-scale batteries. Kraken is also a global leader in the rapidly growing field of domestic flexibility. The platform already handles 162,000 domestic devices, totalling over a gigawatt of power.

Kraken Technologies is part of Octopus Energy Group and was developed to enable select third parties to take advantage of the technologies developed by Octopus Energy. It has already been licensed by major global players, including Origin Energy, E.ON and EDF. https://kraken.tech/