Octopus Energy Group has announced its expansion into the United States market through the acquisition of a majority stake in Uplight, a provider of energy flexibility and customer engagement solutions. The transaction is being conducted in partnership with Schneider Electric, which will retain a significant minority interest. The deal remains subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to be finalised later this year.
Based in North America, Uplight currently works with over 85 utilities, including eight of the ten largest providers in the US. The company manages more than 8.5 gigawatts of flexible load, providing demand response and distributed energy resource management. Following the acquisition, Uplight will continue to operate as an independent platform, focusing on bridging the gap between consumer energy use and grid operations.
The move comes as North American utilities face rising electricity demand driven by the growth of AI data centres, transport electrification, and distributed energy systems. By integrating customer participation more closely with grid management, the partnership aims to provide flexible capacity as an alternative to traditional infrastructure projects. Octopus Energy intends to apply its experience in operating large-scale virtual power plants and flexibility tariffs to the US utility sector.
Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy U.S., said: “As energy demand surges in the U.S., utilities need the tools to deliver reliable and affordable power for their customers. This partnership brings together Octopus’s world-leading expertise in flexibility, Schneider Electric’s grid intelligence and Uplight’s deep relationships with leading U.S. utilities to turn customer participation into dependable grid capacity. Together, we can help accelerate the shift to a smarter, more resilient and more affordable energy system.”
Frédéric Godemel, Executive Vice President at Schneider Electric, noted that the commitment reflects a focus on “connecting customer programs more directly to grid operations,” while Uplight CEO Luis D’Acosta stated: “With the strategic backing of Octopus Energy and Schneider Electric, Uplight is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between customer participation and grid operations. Together, we are proving that distributed energy resources – when managed with precision and scale – can perform as the reliable, utility-scale capacity needed to ensure a resilient and affordable energy future.”
