DigitalBridge to buy Australian smart-meter operator PLUS ES

What's the deal? DigitalBridgeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the US-listed digital infrastructure asset manager, has agreed to acquire PLUS ESDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, one of Australia's largest smart meter providers, through a DigitalBridge-managed investment vehicle. PLUS ES is a ring-fenced entity within the Ausgrid GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

What each side does: PLUS ES runs metering and data platforms that connect retailers, utilities, and network operators, managing roughly 2 million meters across Australia's National Electricity Market. DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) invests in and operates digital assets including cell towers, data centres, fibre, and edge infrastructure.

Why now? Australia's national smart-meter rollout offers what DigitalBridge frames as a long runway for growth, backed by long-term customer relationships and contracted deployment visibility.

What's the endgame? DigitalBridge positions PLUS ES at the crossroads of digital infrastructure and the energy transition. "With approximately 2 million meters already deployed, the business has meaningful scale and an important role in Australia's energy ecosystem," said Justin Chang, head of Asia Pacific at DigitalBridge.

The signal: The deal shows infrastructure investors extending beyond towers and data centres into energy data platforms, treating metering networks as a new class of digital infrastructure tied to the shift toward cleaner power.

Image credit: FirstEnergy Corp.