Eversource
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA publicly traded New England utility holding company providing regulated electricity, natural gas, water, and transmission services.
Last updated October 6, 2026
Overview
Eversource Energy is a publicly traded American energy utility holding company serving customers primarily in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Its regulated subsidiaries deliver electricity through transmission and distribution networks and provide natural-gas distribution. The company also has water-utility operations through Aquarion Water Company. Eversource serves approximately four million customers across the three states, making it one of the largest regulated utility groups in New England. The company was created in 1966 as Northeast Utilities, a multi-state public utility holding company formed through the combination of Connecticut Light and Power Company, Western Massachusetts Electric Company, and Hartford Electric Light Company. Its predecessor businesses reach further back into the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and include regional electric, gas, and water utilities. Public Service Company of New Hampshire joined the system in 1992 after its financial difficulties associated with the Seabrook nuclear project. Northeast Utilities later expanded its Massachusetts presence through the 2012 acquisition of NSTAR, whose predecessor companies included Boston Edison and Commonwealth Gas. The group changed its corporate identity to Eversource Energy on February 2, 2015, and changed its New York Stock Exchange ticker from NU to ES on February 19 of that year. The rebrand reflected the consolidation of its operating companies under a single customer-facing name while preserving regulated subsidiaries and state-specific operations. Eversource’s business is concentrated in infrastructure rather than competitive generation. Its network includes electric transmission lines, extensive distribution systems, and thousands of miles of natural-gas pipeline. State-regulated subsidiaries remain responsible for service reliability, storm restoration, system modernization, customer connections, and delivery of energy purchased through competitive markets. The company divested most competitive-generation assets during the 1990s and 2000s as New England electricity markets were deregulated, and it completed the sale of its New Hampshire generation fleet in 2018. Major infrastructure work has included transmission upgrades in southwest Connecticut and western Massachusetts, including the Bethel–Norwalk line, the Middletown–Norwalk upgrade, and the Greater Springfield Reliability Project. Eversource has also invested in grid modernization and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. Beginning in 2018, it announced a five-year, $45 million Massachusetts program intended to install more than 400 charging stations. The company has faced regulatory and political scrutiny over transmission earnings, electric-rate proposals, solar net-metering policy, demand charges, and major transmission projects. Its proposed Northern Pass line from Quebec through New Hampshire was rejected by the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee in 2018; after an unsuccessful appeal, Eversource abandoned the project in 2019. Eversource also formed offshore-wind joint ventures with Ørsted, but announced in 2023 that it would sell its equity interests in several projects. Its present identity is therefore that of a large, regulated regional utility focused on electricity and gas delivery, network investment, reliability, and selected water and renewable-energy interests.
History
Eversource's history is rooted in the development and consolidation of New England's regulated electric utilities. The company identifies 1927 as the beginning of the corporate lineage associated with Northeast Utilities. Over subsequent decades, the organization expanded through utility ownership, mergers, and the integration of electric-generation, transmission, and distribution businesses across southern New England. A major part of the legacy structure was Connecticut Light and Power, which became the principal electric utility serving much of Connecticut. Northeast Utilities also operated or controlled other regional utilities, including Western Massachusetts Electric and Public Service Company of New Hampshire. These businesses served different state markets but were managed within a broader New England utility group. The combination created a platform with experience in electricity generation, high-voltage transmission, local distribution, and regulated customer service. Northeast Utilities' regional scale increased significantly with its acquisition of NSTAR in 2012. NSTAR owned major Massachusetts electric and gas utilities, including Boston Edison and related successor companies serving eastern Massachusetts. The transaction combined two large New England utility organizations and expanded Northeast Utilities' customer and infrastructure base in Massachusetts. It also increased the geographic and regulatory complexity of the group, since its operations were subject to several state utility commissions as well as federal oversight of transmission and interstate energy matters. In 2015, Northeast Utilities changed its corporate name to Eversource Energy. The new identity was intended to unify the company's operating businesses and make the brand easier for customers and stakeholders to recognize. Although Eversource became the principal public brand, several operating subsidiaries continued to use established legal names, such as Connecticut Light and Power and Public Service Company of New Hampshire. The rebrand did not change the company's basic role as a regulated utility holding company. During the 2010s and early 2020s, Eversource invested in electric transmission, distribution-system upgrades, storm hardening, gas infrastructure, renewable-energy initiatives, and other projects connected with New England's changing energy system. The company became involved in offshore-wind development through partnerships and project investments, while its regulated utilities continued to represent the central source of customer relationships and operating activity. Eversource's business environment has been shaped by New England's decarbonization policies, electrification of heating and transport, reliability requirements, and debates over utility bills and infrastructure costs. Severe storms and hurricanes have periodically caused extensive outages in its service territory, making restoration performance and grid resilience important parts of the public perception of the brand. Regulatory proceedings have also addressed rates, capital programs, service quality, and the treatment of project costs. The company underwent a leadership transition in 2023 when Joe Nolan became chief executive officer, succeeding James J. Judge. In 2024, Eversource announced transactions concerning its offshore-wind interests, indicating a more selective approach to that business and a greater emphasis on regulated utility operations and transmission. Eversource remains an active publicly traded utility serving Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
- 2024
Portfolio shift involving offshore wind
[3]Eversource announced sales involving offshore-wind interests, emphasizing a more focused approach to its regulated utility and transmission portfolio.
- 2023
Joe Nolan becomes chief executive officer
[3]Joe Nolan succeeded James J. Judge as president and chief executive officer.
- 2015
Northeast Utilities becomes Eversource Energy
[1]The company adopted the Eversource Energy name as its primary corporate and customer-facing identity.
- 2012
Acquisition of NSTAR
[1]Northeast Utilities acquired NSTAR, expanding its regulated electric and natural-gas operations in Massachusetts.
- 1927
Beginning of the Northeast Utilities corporate lineage
[1]The corporate history later associated with Eversource Energy is traced to the formation of the utility organization that became Northeast Utilities.
Products and positioning
A regulated New England energy-infrastructure company focused on electricity delivery, natural-gas distribution, transmission, reliability, and the regional energy transition.
Utility service
Electric distribution
Eversource's local electric utilities deliver power to homes, businesses, and industrial customers through distribution networks in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The service includes network operation, metering, connections, outage response, vegetation management, and infrastructure maintenance. Rates and service obligations are regulated by the relevant state authorities.
Energy infrastructure
Electric transmission
The company owns and operates high-voltage transmission assets used to move electricity across New England and connect generation resources with distribution systems. Transmission investment supports regional reliability, system capacity, and the integration of new generation, including lower-carbon resources.
Utility service
Natural-gas distribution
Eversource provides regulated natural-gas distribution in parts of Massachusetts. The business operates local pipeline networks, manages customer connections and system maintenance, and delivers gas service subject to state regulation and safety requirements.
Renewable-energy infrastructure
Clean-energy and offshore-wind investments
Eversource has participated in regional clean-energy and offshore-wind development through project investments and partnerships. These activities formed part of its energy-transition strategy, although later portfolio transactions reduced or changed the company's direct offshore-wind exposure.
Controversies
2017
Rate increase and solar-charge controversy
Massachusetts officials challenged Eversource’s proposed rate increase and later appealed approval of a reduced increase that included a shareholder-return provision. The company also faced opposition over demand charges affecting net-metering customers and its positions on solar policy.
2015
FERC investigates Eversource transmission rates
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission investigated whether the company’s transmission rates appeared unjust, unreasonable, or unduly discriminatory after reported growth in transmission profits.
2015
Transmission-rate investigation
FERC investigated whether Eversource’s transmission rates were unjust, unreasonable, or unduly discriminatory after a reported rise in transmission profits.
Brand decisions
2024
Reposition the offshore-wind portfolioM&ABackground
Offshore-wind development faced changing project economics, supply-chain constraints, permitting complexity, and rising financing costs.
Action taken
Eversource announced transactions to sell interests in offshore-wind projects and refocus its portfolio.
Aftermath
The transactions signaled a stronger emphasis on regulated utilities and transmission while reducing direct exposure to offshore-wind development.
2015
Adopt the Eversource corporate identityStrategyBackground
Following the NSTAR combination, the company needed a common identity for a group of utilities operating under multiple historical names.
Action taken
Northeast Utilities changed its corporate name to Eversource Energy and used Eversource as the principal public-facing brand.
Aftermath
The brand unified customer and investor communications while legacy subsidiary names remained in use for certain legal and operating entities.
2012
Acquire NSTARM&ABackground
Northeast Utilities sought to combine with NSTAR to create a larger New England utility platform with substantial electric and gas operations in Massachusetts.
Action taken
Northeast Utilities completed the acquisition of NSTAR and integrated its Massachusetts utility businesses.
Aftermath
The transaction materially expanded the company's operating footprint and preceded the adoption of the Eversource identity.
Recent events
- 2024
Eversource completes sale of its stake in offshore-wind projects[3]
M&A
Eversource announced transactions involving the sale of its interests in offshore-wind projects, reflecting a shift in portfolio emphasis toward its regulated utility and transmission businesses.
- 2023
Eversource appoints Joe Nolan as chief executive officer[3]
Leadership change
Joe Nolan succeeded James J. Judge as president and chief executive officer of Eversource Energy.
- 2023
Eversource announces sale of offshore-wind interests[1]
M&A · Other
Eversource announced plans to sell its equity interests in the Bay State Wind, South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind, and Sunrise Wind projects, with the reference material reporting an expected loss of $200 million.
- 2019
Eversource abandons Northern Pass[1]
Other
After the New Hampshire Supreme Court rejected the project’s appeal, Eversource announced that it would discontinue Northern Pass.
- 2018
New Hampshire rejects Northern Pass permit[1]
Regulation · Other
The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee unanimously denied a permit for Eversource’s proposed Northern Pass transmission project.
- 2017
Massachusetts approves reduced Eversource rate increase[1]
Pricing · Regulation
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved a substantially reduced version of Eversource’s proposed electric rate increase. The ruling was subsequently appealed by Attorney General Maura Healey.
- 2015
Northeast Utilities adopts the Eversource Energy name[1]
Other
Northeast Utilities completed a corporate rebranding under the Eversource Energy name, bringing its regional utility businesses under a common identity.
- 2015
Northeast Utilities rebrands as Eversource Energy[1]
Other
The company and its subsidiaries adopted the Eversource Energy identity, and the NYSE symbol changed from NU to ES later that month.
- 2012
Northeast Utilities and NSTAR merger closes[1]
M&A
Northeast Utilities completed its acquisition and merger with NSTAR after receiving required government approvals, strengthening its electricity and gas presence in Greater Boston.
Sources6 sources
- 1Eversource Energyen.wikipedia.org
- 2Eversource investor relations: managementinvestors.eversource.com
- 3Eversource investor relations: news releasesinvestors.eversource.com
- 4Eversource corporate websiteeversource.com
- 5Thayer School of Engineering and electric utility company Eversource selected for $47.7 million federal grant to upgrade New England’s transmission network - The Dartmouthnews.google.com
- 6UNH partners with Eversource to increase energy efficiency on campuswmur.com
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