NorthernGrid
NorthernGrid is a non-profit regional transmission planning organization serving 14 utility members across the Northwestern U.S. It develops FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 compliant 10-year and 20-year transmission plans under the Western Power Pool.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NorthernGrid does
NorthernGrid is a non-profit regional transmission planning organization serving the Northwestern portion of the Western Interconnection in the United States. It was established through a Services Agreement with the Western Power Pool (WPP) executed in December 2019 and convened its first Member Planning Committee meeting in February 2020. The organization develops regional 10-year transmission plans under the FERC Order 1000 two-year planning cycle and is implementing 20-year long-term regional planning under the newer FERC Order 1920 four-year cycle. NorthernGrid serves 14 enrolled utility members spanning investor-owned utilities (Avista, Idaho Power, NorthWestern Energy, NVEnergy, PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric, Puget Sound Energy), the federal Bonneville Power Administration, municipal utilities (Seattle City Light, Tacoma Power), public utility districts (Chelan County PUD, Snohomish County PUD), and BHE Canada.
The core platform is a web-based stakeholder engagement portal that organizes meetings, news, documents, and comment opportunities around each planning cycle. Key governance and product components include the Member Planning Committee (MPC), the Enrolled Parties and States Committee (EPSC), study scope documents, draft and final Regional Transmission Plans (RTPs), and Attachment K tariff documentation. Supporting modules include an email subscription notification system, the NorthernGrid Information Series video content hosted on Vimeo, and integration with Microsoft Teams and WebEx for committee meetings. The technical differentiator is domain specialization in FERC-compliant regional transmission planning rather than proprietary software.
NorthernGrid operates as a member-based organization under Western Power Pool, with administrative and staff support provided via the WPP Services Agreement. Revenue is generated through member fees (subscription/recurring model), though no public pricing or fee schedule is disclosed. The organization does not pursue commercial distribution; utilities enroll as parties through planning agreements and participate in collaborative cycles. The go-to-market is relationship-driven and member-bound, with the Western U.S. utility sector as the sole customer segment.
NorthernGrid firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NorthernGrid
- Legal name
- NorthernGrid
- Website
- https://northerngrid.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- NorthernGrid is a non-profit regional transmission planning organization serving 14 utility members across the Northwestern U.S. It develops FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 compliant 10-year and 20-year transmission plans under the Western Power Pool.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NorthernGrid industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Transmission Planning Services
- NAICS
- Electric Bulk Power Transmission and Control (221121), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Long-Term Transmission Planning (RTO/ISO, Regional & Interregional) (EUADAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Transmission Planning, Grid Expansion & Permitting (EUADAAAH), Grid Interconnection, Transmission Policy & Market Rules (EUAMANAC)
Keywords
Where NorthernGrid is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
NorthernGrid business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Member Services Fees: NorthernGrid operates as part of the Western Power Pool (WPP) and appears to be funded through member contributions from enrolled utility companies. The Services Agreement with NWPP governs the relationship for planning cycles.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
NorthernGrid product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NorthernGrid coordinates regional electric transmission planning for utilities across the Western United States, developing 10-year and 20-year Regional Transmission Plans and standardized study scopes under FERC Order 1000 and FERC Order 1920. It operates a web-based stakeholder engagement portal that publishes study scopes, planning documents, and committee governance materials, and it facilitates participation from investor-owned utilities, federal entities (including BPA), public utility districts, cooperatives, and municipal utilities.
Product overview
NorthernGrid operates as a regional transmission planning organization offering a web-based platform for stakeholder engagement across FERC Order 1000 (two-year cycles) and FERC Order 1920 (four-year cycles) planning processes. The core platform centers on the Member Planning Committee (MPC) and Enrolled Parties and States Committee (EPSC), which manage study scope development, document collaboration, and Regional Transmission Plan (RTP) production. Supporting modules include a notification subscription system and the NorthernGrid Information Series video content. Key deliverables include study scopes, draft and final RTPs, and FERC-compliant Attachment K tariff documentation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Regional Transmission Plan (RTP)
- Study Scope Development Service
- Attachment K Tariff Documentation
- Stakeholder Engagement Portal
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully completes regional transmission planning cycles on schedule per FERC requirements
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use NorthernGrid
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
NorthernGrid technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
NorthernGrid partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- WestConnectminorCollaborative partner for interregional coordination. WestConnect hosts the Annual Interregional Coordination Meeting (AICM) where NorthernGrid presents. Separate regional transmission planning organization covering adjacent territories.
- Western Power Pool (WPP)coreNorthernGrid operates as a program under the Western Power Pool organization. WPP staff provide administrative and operational support to NorthernGrid. The Services Agreement between NorthernGrid and WPP governs the relationship for planning cycle operations.
- AvistacoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Participates in planning cycles under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- BHE CanadacoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Participates in planning cycles under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)coreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Federal utility participating under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- Chelan County PUDcoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Public utility district participating under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- Idaho Power CompanycoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Participates in planning cycles under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- NorthWestern EnergycoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Participates in planning cycles under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- NVEnergycoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Participates in planning cycles under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- PacifiCorpcoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Participates in planning cycles under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- Portland General ElectriccoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Participates in planning cycles under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- Puget Sound EnergycoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Participates in planning cycles under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- Seattle City LightcoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Municipal utility participating under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- Snohomish County PUDcoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Public utility district participating under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
- Tacoma PowercoreEnrolled party in NorthernGrid regional transmission planning. Municipal utility participating under FERC Order 1000 and Order 1920 requirements.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
NorthernGrid competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ERCOT: Texas grid operator with extensive transmission planning responsibilities, though largely outside FERC jurisdiction. Comparable in scale and role within its service territory, but operates under a distinct regulatory framework that limits direct comparability to NorthernGrid.
Direct peers
- Southwest Power Pool (SPP): RTO covering the central US that performs FERC-compliant regional transmission planning alongside market operations. Comparable organizational mandate and structure to NorthernGrid's role in the Western Interconnection, though on a much larger geographic scale.
- ISO New England: New England RTO with a regional transmission planning process governed by FERC requirements. Operates as a comparable institutional peer to NorthernGrid, albeit in a different interconnection and with market operations bundled in.
- MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator): Largest US RTO by geographic footprint, performing regional transmission planning under FERC Order 1000 and 1920. Functionally parallel role to NorthernGrid across the Midwest and South, with extensive stakeholder coordination processes.
- California Independent System Operator (CAISO): California's RTO performing both transmission planning and market operations across most of the state. Operates a parallel regional planning function to NorthernGrid for the Western Interconnection and is a key interregional coordination counterpart.
- PJM Interconnection: Major Eastern Interconnection RTO conducting FERC-compliant regional transmission planning for the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Operates one of the most mature regional planning processes in the US, comparable in regulatory function to NorthernGrid.
- WestConnect: Adjacent regional transmission planning organization covering the Southwestern US under FERC Order 1000 and 1920. NorthernGrid and WestConnect jointly participate in the Annual Interregional Coordination Meeting, making them the closest functional peers in the Western Interconnection.
- New York ISO (NYISO): New York State RTO conducting comprehensive regional transmission planning under FERC oversight. Peer in the sense of performing the same federally-mandated planning function within a defined geographic footprint.
- Southeast Regional Transmission Planning (SERTP): Regional transmission planning process for the Southeastern US, organized as a collaborative effort among multiple utility members under FERC Order 1000. Structurally similar to NorthernGrid as a member-driven planning organization without full RTO functions.
Others
- Western Power Pool: Administrative host and operational backer of NorthernGrid. While not a direct peer in planning, WPP's broader reliability coordination and reserve sharing functions sit alongside NorthernGrid's planning scope within the same Western US institutional framework.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
NorthernGrid social profiles
Digital presenceNorthernGrid financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NorthernGrid leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
NorthernGrid funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NorthernGrid M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NorthernGrid
What does NorthernGrid do?
NorthernGrid coordinates regional electric transmission planning for utilities across the Western United States, developing 10-year and 20-year Regional Transmission Plans and standardized study scopes under FERC Order 1000 and FERC Order 1920. It operates a web-based stakeholder engagement portal that publishes study scopes, planning documents, and committee governance materials, and it facilitates participation from investor-owned utilities, federal entities (including BPA), public utility districts, cooperatives, and municipal utilities.
Is NorthernGrid a public or private company?
NorthernGrid is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was NorthernGrid founded?
NorthernGrid was founded in 2020.
Where is NorthernGrid based?
NorthernGrid is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does NorthernGrid make money?
One revenue line is on record: member Services Fees.
Who are NorthernGrid's main competitors?
ERCOT is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Southwest Power Pool (SPP), ISO New England, MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator), California Independent System Operator (CAISO), PJM Interconnection, WestConnect, New York ISO (NYISO) and Southeast Regional Transmission Planning (SERTP). Western Power Pool is listed as an others.
Does NorthernGrid have an API?
No public API is recorded for NorthernGrid.
What industry is NorthernGrid in?
NorthernGrid's product category is Electric Transmission Planning Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADAGAA, Long-Term Transmission Planning (RTO/ISO, Regional & Interregional), with a secondary code of EUADAAAH, Transmission Planning, Grid Expansion & Permitting. Its NAICS code is 221121 and its SIC code is 4911.