Atwell, NEI Partner to Expand Power Engineering Services
Atwell has announced the acquisition of NEI Electric Power Engineering, Inc. (NEI), marking a significant step in the expansion of its infrastructure and energy capabilities. The acquisition brings together two established engineering firms to create a national platform capable of delivering comprehensive power and energy infrastructure solutions. While financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, the combined organization is expected to play a major role in supporting the growing demand for electricity, modernizing the electric grid, and enabling large-scale energy projects across North America.
By integrating their expertise, Atwell and NEI aim to provide clients with end-to-end services throughout the entire project lifecycle. The combined organization will be able to support projects from the earliest stages of site selection, land development, environmental permitting, and route planning through engineering design, construction support, commissioning, and operational services. This integrated approach is intended to simplify project delivery, improve coordination among stakeholders, and accelerate timelines for complex infrastructure developments.
The acquisition comes at a time when the power industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. Rising electricity consumption is being driven by several major trends, including the rapid expansion of data centers, widespread electrification across transportation and industry, and continued investment in renewable energy generation. These developments are increasing pressure on existing transmission systems and creating an urgent need for new infrastructure capable of delivering reliable power to homes, businesses, industrial facilities, and digital infrastructure.
Data centers have emerged as one of the largest contributors to growing electricity demand. As cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital services, and high-performance computing continue to expand, developers are investing heavily in new hyperscale facilities that require large amounts of dependable electrical capacity. At the same time, the transition toward electric vehicles, battery storage systems, and renewable power generation is reshaping the energy landscape, requiring substantial upgrades to transmission networks, substations, and grid infrastructure.
These market dynamics have created increasing demand for engineering firms capable of delivering large-scale infrastructure projects efficiently. By combining Atwell’s multidisciplinary development expertise with NEI’s specialized power engineering capabilities, the newly formed platform is positioned to address many of the industry’s most pressing infrastructure challenges.
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, NEI Electric Power Engineering has built a strong reputation as a leading provider of transmission engineering, substation design, and power systems engineering services. Over more than four decades, the company has developed extensive technical expertise in designing and supporting critical electrical infrastructure projects for clients across the United States.
Today, NEI employs more than 380 technical professionals serving customers in 38 states. Its client base includes electric utilities, renewable energy developers, industrial companies, engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors, hyperscale data center developers, and organizations responsible for large-load infrastructure projects. The company’s experience spans a broad range of power system applications, including transmission line engineering, substation development, renewable energy interconnections, grid reliability studies, protection systems, and electrical infrastructure planning.
Atwell brings complementary capabilities that extend beyond engineering design. The company has extensive experience in land development, surveying, environmental consulting, permitting, geospatial services, and program management. These services play a critical role during the early stages of infrastructure development, helping clients identify suitable project sites, navigate regulatory requirements, secure necessary approvals, and prepare projects for construction.
According to Matthew C. Bissett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atwell, the acquisition represents an important opportunity to strengthen the company’s ability to address one of the industry’s greatest challenges: meeting rapidly increasing electricity demand with sufficient infrastructure. He explained that demand for electrical power is growing faster than the industry’s ability to expand transmission systems and supporting infrastructure, creating significant challenges for utilities, developers, and industrial customers.
Bissett noted that by combining NEI’s expertise in transmission engineering, substations, renewable energy interconnections, and power systems with Atwell’s strengths in land development, permitting, environmental services, surveying, and program delivery, clients will gain access to a fully integrated team capable of supporting projects from undeveloped land through energized electrical systems.
This comprehensive approach is expected to help customers accelerate major infrastructure projects while reducing coordination challenges that often arise when multiple consultants and contractors are involved. Rather than relying on separate firms for different phases of project development, clients can work with a single organization capable of managing the entire process from concept to completion.
The expanded platform is expected to support a wide variety of infrastructure initiatives, including transmission network expansion, substation modernization, renewable energy integration, grid reliability improvements, and large-scale power delivery projects for data centers and industrial facilities. As utilities continue investing in resilient and modern electrical infrastructure, demand for these integrated services is expected to remain strong.
The acquisition also builds upon a well-established working relationship between the two organizations. Atwell and NEI have collaborated on infrastructure projects for more than ten years, giving both companies extensive experience working together on complex assignments. This history of successful partnerships provides a solid foundation for integrating operations and maintaining continuity for existing clients.
Because the firms are already familiar with each other’s project delivery methods, leadership expects the transition to be smooth while preserving the collaborative culture that has contributed to successful project outcomes over the past decade. Their established relationship also reduces many of the operational risks typically associated with major acquisitions.
Clifton Oertli, President and Chief Executive Officer of NEI, described the acquisition as an exciting new chapter for the company, its employees, and its customers. He emphasized that NEI has spent more than 40 years building a reputation for technical excellence, strong client relationships, and innovative engineering solutions. According to Oertli, Atwell shares many of the same values, including a commitment to collaboration, adaptability, and delivering high-quality services.
He added that existing clients will continue working with the engineering teams they already know while benefiting from Atwell’s broader range of capabilities, expanded resources, and nationwide network of professionals. The combined organization will also create new opportunities for employees by providing access to larger projects, additional technical disciplines, and expanded career development opportunities.
Strategically, the acquisition positions Atwell among the leading firms serving several of the fastest-growing sectors of the energy market. The combined company will have enhanced capabilities to support projects involving hyperscale data centers, transmission expansion, renewable energy integration, electrification initiatives, battery storage systems, and overall grid modernization efforts throughout North America.
The integration is also expected to strengthen Atwell’s broader land development and infrastructure business by creating additional opportunities to deliver multidisciplinary services across a wider range of projects. As infrastructure investments continue to grow, clients increasingly seek partners capable of managing multiple project phases under a single contract, improving efficiency while reducing costs and project risks.
Several advisory firms supported the completion of the transaction. Morrissey Goodale served as financial advisor to Atwell, while Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP provided legal counsel. On behalf of NEI, Black Iron Advisers acted as financial advisor, and Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP served as legal counsel throughout the acquisition process.
With electricity demand continuing to rise across the United States and Canada, the combination of Atwell and NEI creates a stronger engineering platform capable of supporting critical infrastructure investments. By bringing together expertise in land development, environmental services, transmission engineering, substations, renewable energy integration, and program delivery, the combined organization is well positioned to help utilities, developers, and industrial clients build the resilient power infrastructure needed to support future economic growth, digital transformation, and the ongoing energy transition.
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