The Brattle Group helps utilities, regulators, government agencies, investors, and other stakeholders navigate the evolving role of natural gas in a rapidly changing energy landscape. Our experts combine economic, regulatory, financial, and technical expertise to address the complex challenges associated with decarbonization, infrastructure planning, and energy system transformation.

We advise clients on a range of future-of-gas issues, including decarbonization strategies, non-pipeline alternatives (NPAs), customer energy consumption patterns, rate design and cost recovery, alternative fuels, gas supply planning, electric system impacts, and cost of capital implications. Our work helps clients balance environmental objectives with the need to maintain safe, reliable, affordable, and equitable energy service.

Brattle has developed several long-range planning tools to help gas companies evaluate possible responses to shifting policy requirements, customer preferences, technology costs, and investor expectations. Using these tools, we have contributed to major future-of-gas proceedings, climate compliance reviews, economy-wide decarbonization studies, and utility planning initiatives across North America.

We have provided these analyses in testimony, webinars, stakeholder workshops, proprietary planning studies, and public reports.

The Future of Gas Utilities Series

This three-part series outlines the key challenges and opportunities facing the gas industry, and aims to help gas and combination utilities navigate the natural gas transition in a fiscally and socially responsible way.

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Areas of Focus

Decarbonization Planning and Regulatory Strategy

We support future-of-gas proceedings, climate compliance reviews, economy-wide decarbonization studies, gas system enhancement plans, and regulatory frameworks that help utilities navigate the transition to a lower-carbon energy system.
Infrastructure Planning and Non-Pipeline Alternatives

We evaluate gas infrastructure investments and alternatives, including methods of establishing risk-based priorities for repairs and replacements. On the demand side, we evaluate customer participation rates and resulting load shapes from energy efficiency, demand response, electrification, thermal energy networks, and other solutions that can help defer or avoid traditional pipeline investments.
Rate Design, Cost Recovery, and Customer Impacts

We assess the implications of changing gas demand for utility revenues, customer bills, affordability, marginal cost–of–service, equity outcomes, and stranded asset risk across customer classes and communities.
Gas Supply and Alternative Fuels

We review gas supply portfolios, procurement strategies, storage and liquified natural gas (LNG) contracts, and the role of renewable natural gas, hydrogen, and other low-carbon fuels in meeting long-term energy and climate objectives.
Utility Finance and Business Risk

We analyze the effects of decarbonization policies, changing demand patterns, and investor expectations on utility business risk, financial performance, and cost of capital.
Program Design and Regulatory Support

We develop and evaluate energy efficiency, electrification, heat pump, demand response, and decarbonization programs, and provide expert testimony and technical support in regulatory proceedings.