Aurora Energy announced on June 10 it has selected Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Hitachi Solutions Asia Pacific to modernize its finance and operations platform, replacing legacy finance and contract management systems with a cloud-based ERP environment.
The Tasmanian government-owned electricity retailer serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers, placing the ERP program inside a highly regulated essential-services operating model. Aurora Energy will deploy Dynamics 365 Finance, Supply Chain Management, and Project Operations as part of the modernization program.
Hitachi Solutions said the new platform will unify financial management, supply chain processes, project accounting, contract lifecycle management, and employee expenses in a single system. The system is expected to support about 200 users and incorporate AI agents built on Dynamics 365 for increased automation and business insight, iTnews June 10 reports.
Aurora Energy CFO Django Still said the move is tied to governance and the company’s role as an essential services provider. He added that moving to cloud-based Dynamics 365 would create “a unified view of the business that improves efficiency today while providing the flexibility to support future priorities.”
Cloud ERP Targets Governance, Operational Risk
Hitachi Solutions said Aurora Energy’s move to Dynamics 365 is expected to strengthen compliance, reduce operational risk, and improve decision-making across the organization. For a government-owned energy retailer, that makes the ERP platform part of the operating control environment, not only a finance system upgrade.
The target architecture also reflects the broader shift from legacy systems toward integrated cloud ERP. By bringing finance, supply chain, project operations, contract lifecycle management, and expenses into one platform, Aurora Energy aims to reduce fragmentation across core business functions and improve visibility into the way work, costs, and obligations move through the organization.
That visibility is especially relevant for utilities and essential services providers, where governance requirements and operational continuity sit close together. ERP modernization can affect financial controls, contract oversight, project cost management, procurement processes, and the ability to act on timely business data.
Hitachi Solutions Takes Delivery Role
Aurora Energy has engaged Hitachi Solutions to support the Dynamics 365 implementation.
The Microsoft partner will help deliver the Dynamics 365 environment and support the move away from legacy finance and contract management systems. Hitachi Solutions said the project will use a streamlined single-phase deployment designed to accelerate time to value while maintaining reliability and outcome focus.
The inclusion of Dynamics 365 Project Operations is notable because ERP modernization in utilities often extends beyond accounting and procurement. Projects, assets, vendor commitments, contract obligations, expenses, and cost management need to connect back to financial planning and reporting. Bringing project operations into the same platform can reduce handoffs that occur when project delivery and finance are managed across separate systems.
AI Agents Enter the ERP Roadmap
Aurora Energy’s modernization program will also include AI agents.
The announcement does not provide detail on specific agent use cases, so the near-term significance is architectural rather than functional. Aurora Energy is moving to a platform that can support more automation and insight after core finance, supply chain, project, contract, and expense data are brought into a unified cloud environment.
That sequencing is key for ERP programs. AI agents are more useful when they can operate against consistent data, clear workflows, and governed business processes. This Dynamics 365 deployment appears to establish that foundation before deeper automation is layered into day-to-day operations.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
Utilities can use ERP modernization to strengthen governance. Aurora Energy’s move to Dynamics 365 shows how essential services providers are treating cloud ERP as part of the control environment for finance, contracts, projects, procurement, and compliance. For ERP leaders, modernization success will increasingly be measured by whether the platform improves operational oversight as well as back-office efficiency.
Project operations are central to ERP scope. Aurora Energy’s deployment includes Dynamics 365 Project Operations alongside Finance and Supply Chain Management, pointing to a broader need to connect project delivery, costs, contracts, expenses, and financial reporting. That integration can reduce the operational gaps that appear when project work and finance remain separated.
AI agents need a stable ERP foundation. Aurora Energy’s planned use of AI agents comes after the move to a unified cloud platform. For transformation leaders, the lesson is agentic automation depends on the quality of the underlying ERP architecture, including data consistency, role controls, workflow design, and process visibility.
