Alectra Utilities Recognized in Electricity Canada’s 2025 Centre of Excellence
January 15, 2026
Alectra Utilities is proud to announce that its groundbreaking Centricity project has been inducted into Electricity Canada’s 2025 Centre of Excellence, recognizing it as one of the country’s most transformative innovations in the electricity sector.
Centricity is Canada’s first full end-to-end Distribution System Operator (DSO) model, a next-generation grid platform that modernizes how the electricity system works and how customers interact with it. Supported by a $6 million investment from the Government of Canada’s Energy Innovation Program, Centricity introduces a flexible, data-driven grid architecture that enables customers to become active participants in the distribution-level electricity market.
“We are honoured that Electricity Canada has recognized Centricity as a model for the future,” said Hisham Omara, Vice President, Grid Modernization, Alectra Utilities. “Centricity’s DSO is about creating a brand-new local flexibility market that will redefine how Canada’s grid manages demand. By allowing customers to participate in the market, we can defer major infrastructure costs, unlock cleaner energy, and build a system that responds in real time to how people actually use electricity. This market is the bridge between today’s grid and the future we all know is coming.”
With Centricity, the grid becomes smarter, more interactive, and more customer-powered. The platform will operationalize local flexibility markets, fully integrate Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) into planning and real-time operations, and open the door for customers to play a direct role in helping manage demand on the grid.
Homes and businesses can reduce their electricity bills by allowing everyday devices including smart thermostats, solar panels, batteries, and EV chargers to shift energy use and contribute capacity to the market during peak times. It is simple, automated participation that strengthens reliability and contributes to a cleaner, more affordable energy future.
Electricity Canada’s Centre of Excellence highlights outstanding projects nationwide that demonstrate leadership, innovation, and meaningful community impact. The 2025 cohort features eight trailblazing initiatives advancing grid modernization, clean energy, community engagement, and customer-focused innovation.
