NRI Australia partners with CleanCo Queensland to manage IT operations

Partnership will support CleanCo’s operational maturity as energy sector undergoes major transition.

NRI Australia has been appointed managed service provider for the Queensland Government–owned energy generator and retailer, CleanCo Queensland.

NRI will be responsible for supporting the reliability and continuity of the IT systems that underpins CleanCo’s energy generation, trading and market operations.

The transition was delivered over a twelve-week period to ensure continuity of service while transitioning services to NRI.

“That required structure and discipline, close collaboration between our teams and a strong focus on maintaining operational continuity,” said Dave Lennon, executive GM, managed services, NRI.

It was important that NRI obtained a thorough understanding of CleanCo’s infrastructure and applications environment through due diligence, shadowing and hyper-care activities.

“This approach was designed to ensure a seamless transition from project to BAU operations, minimise service impact and ensure the expected performance outcomes and service levels were met from day one,” he added.

Supporting the transition from legacy power generation

The energy sector is transitioning from legacy power generation while also responding to regulatory changes such as increased obligations under the SOCI Act. As a result, Lennon told CRN Australia there is a long list of modernisation efforts underway.

“Lifting asset performance from ageing infrastructure, modernising customer engagement platforms for a more active and digitally connected customer base, replacing legacy ERP and billing systems, strengthening cyber resilience across converging IT and OT environments, and building the digital workforce capability to sustain all of this,” he explained.

For organisations like CleanCo, they must adapt to portfolio expansion and complex energy portfolios as the generation mix shifts. “The scale of change facing power and water utilities right now is significant,” he said.

“These organisations are modernising technology platforms that in many cases have been in place for decades, driven by the energy transition, population growth and water security pressures,” he added.

Utilities like CleanCo need to develop operational maturity while also strengthening resilience across their entire operations.

“Each faces distinct pressures depending on ownership structure, workforce dynamics, government policy settings and the regulatory environment they operate in,” said Lennon.

He explained that operationally mature utilities have two things working together.

“A clear technology strategy and portfolio roadmap that aligns investment to their most pressing business challenges, and the managed services capability to keep critical systems secure, resilient and performing while transformation is underway,” he said.