Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co. (BHE) is an American energy holding company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A.. Founded in 1971, it operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.. As of 2025, BHE reported approximately 23,900 employees and revenues of around US$26.198 billion.

BHE owns and operates a diverse portfolio of utility and energy businesses, providing electricity and natural gas to over 13 million customers and end-users across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.. Its operations include regulated electric and natural gas utilities such as MidAmerican Energy Company, NV Energy, and PacifiCorp, as well as renewable energy generation (solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric) and interstate natural gas pipeline systems like Northern Natural Gas and Kern River Gas Transmission Company.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co. exhibits a defensive patent-litigation posture, using the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to challenge patent validity. The company is listed as a plaintiff in one tracked case and has no recorded appearances as a defendant in the provided data. This single case, Wisconsin Power & Light Co. et al. v. Birchtech Corp. at the PTAB, indicates that Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co. (among other parties, including Wisconsin Power & Light Co.) is actively disputing the validity of patents held by Birchtech Corp.

This PTAB action likely serves as a defensive measure in response to patent infringement allegations. Birchtech Corp., operating under its ME2C Environmental division, specializes in mercury emissions reduction technologies and has a history of filing patent infringement lawsuits against major power utilities, some of which have resulted in substantial settlements and jury verdicts in its favor. Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company itself, along with entities like Wisconsin Power & Light Co., was explicitly named as a defendant in a district court patent infringement lawsuit initiated by Birchtech Corp. (then ME2C Environmental).