Essential Energy selects Oracle to enhance operations

Essential Energy has chosen Oracle's cloud applications to enhance operational efficiency and optimise management of assets and workforce across its extensive electricity network in Australia.

Essential Energy manages one of the largest electricity distribution networks in Australia, covering 95% of New South Wales and parts of southern Queensland, which serves over 900,000 customers in regional, rural, and remote areas. The organisation aims to support the New South Wales transition to renewable energy as highlighted in the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap. Modernising infrastructure to meet increasing power demands and incorporating emerging technologies are critical challenges for Essential Energy.

The company has built on its existing relationship with Oracle by selecting Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Suite and Oracle Utilities Work and Asset Cloud Service (WACS). This decision aims to improve business insights, enhance operational efficiency, and optimise workforce management to better meet customer expectations.

"To strengthen our core business, we needed the right technology to modernise and replace a number of legacy software solutions used to manage our asset and works management value chain," said Brad Thomas, head of Asset Engineering, Risk and Compliance, Essential Energy. "Oracle's solutions are helping us manage over 10 million assets, systemise maintenance requirements, and provide an end-to-end view of our asset management system. With these tools we have improved our asset management practices and aligned our enterprise systems. They have also laid the foundation to help us lead Australia's clean energy transition."

By employing Oracle's integrated applications, Essential Energy has been able to establish a centralised data model for asset and financial management. Utilising data insights from Oracle Fusion Applications and Oracle Utilities WACS, Essential Energy enhances maintenance processes and maximises asset value to provide more benefits to customers across Australia.

Essential Energy is also able to leverage cloud applications to increase productivity, reduce costs, and gain better workforce insights through Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM). The introduction of quarterly update cycles will ensure Essential Energy has access to continuous innovation, with new features being added every 90 days without causing business disruption.

Oracle Utilities WACS offers insights, modelling, and planning capabilities, empowering Essential Energy to effectively manage network assets and provide support to communities, businesses, and residential customers. Over time, this will enable the organisation to improve visibility into asset and works management processes, supporting a more resilient and reliable electricity network.

"Essential Energy's cloud-first approach is redefining what's possible in the energy sector, setting a new benchmark for modernisation and sustainability," said Stephen Bovis, regional managing director, Australia and New Zealand, Oracle. "With Oracle Fusion Applications and Oracle Utilities Work and Asset Cloud Service, Essential Energy is not just optimising operations—it's transforming its entire approach to managing one of Australia's largest and most critical electricity networks. We are proud to work with Essential Energy in accelerating New South Wales' clean energy transition while strengthening the State's energy infrastructure and delivering lasting value to communities across the region."

The implementation of Oracle Cloud ERP, Oracle Cloud HCM, and Oracle Utilities WACS has been supported by Deloitte and Accenture, both of which are long-term members of the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN).