{{Short description|Northern Irish gas company}} {{Infobox company | name = Phoenix Energy Group Limited | logo = Phoenix Natural Gas corporate logo.svg | logo_size = | logo_caption = | trading_name = | native_name = | former_name = | former type = | type = | traded_as = | industry = Utilities | fate = | predecessor = | successor = | foundation = September 1996 | founder = British Gas plc | defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | location_city = Belfast | location_country = Northern Ireland | locations = <!-- Number of --> | area_served = Greater Belfast, Larne & East Down | key_people = Michael McKinstry (CEO) | products = | brands = | production = | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = Royal Bank of Scotland Group Pension Fund (50%), managed by Vantage Infrastructure;<br />Utilities Trust of Australia (50%) | num_employees = 175 | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = {{URL|www.phoenixnaturalgas.com}} }}

'''Phoenix Energy''' (formerly Phoenix Natural Gas) is the largest gas distribution business in Northern Ireland, being the owner and operator of the licence for the distribution network in the Greater Belfast area. The distribution business is responsible for the development of the pipeline network and also for providing a 24/7 operational and transportation service platform to suppliers under the rules of the company's network code. The ongoing investment within the Phoenix Energy licence area does not attract any grant or support from local or UK government. The investment is a standalone private venture.

The Phoenix Energy network currently extends to over 3,650 kilometres of intermediate, medium and low-pressure mains, which distribute natural gas throughout the licence area, representing around 50% of the population of Northern Ireland. Approximately 70% of the gas infrastructure has been completed using trenchless 'No Dig' technology.

Phoenix Energy manages the construction, maintenance and operation of the network and is also responsible for the development of the market in Greater Belfast and Larne. Already some 218,000 customers have been connected to natural gas network in the 20 plus years it has been available to them. The business is regulated under licence by the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (NIAUR).

==History== In March 1992 Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Brooke announced the first stage of the privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity, the province's monopolistic utility company. A major part of this was the sale of Ballylumford power station in Northern Ireland to British Gas for £132&nbsp;million.<ref name="niepriv">{{cite news |date=March 6, 1992 |title=NIE power plant sale agreed and BG plans gas pipeline |newspaper=FT Energy Newsletters - European Energy Report |publisher=Financial Times Business Limited }}</ref> This oil-fired power plant provided more than half of the power needs of the 600,000 customers in Northern Ireland. British Gas simultaneously announced its plans to set up Premier Transco to build and operate the Scotland-Northern Ireland pipeline (SNIP), a natural gas pipeline, to convert Ballylumford to natural gas, and to set up a commercial supply company for natural gas (what would become Phoenix Natural Gas).<ref name="niepriv"/>

The £250&nbsp;million Scotland Northern Ireland Pipeline (SNIP) was completed in 1996, with the first gas delivered through it in September of that year.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 1, 1996 |title=Gas era dawns at Ballylumford |newspaper=Belfast Telegraph |publisher=Belfast Telegraph Newspapers Ltd. }}</ref> In 1997 BG Group sold a 24.5% stake in Phoenix to KeySpan. In early 2001 BG Group sold a further 24.5% to East Surrey Holdings plc (ESH) for £50 million.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 1, 2001 |title=Phoenix to sell quarter of business |newspaper=News Letter |publisher=Century Newspapers Limited }}</ref> In November 2003 ESH purchased Phoenix outright, acquiring the other two shareholders' stakes for a total of £177 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=McDonald |first=Gary |date=November 22, 2003|title=Phoenix bought outright by ESH|newspaper=The Irish News |publisher=The Irish News Limited }}</ref> Terra Firma Capital Partners completed a protracted acquisition of ESH and its Phoenix subsidiary for £453 million in 2005; Terra Firma had attempted to withdraw its bid for ESH due to a "bitter and long-running dispute with Northern Ireland's energy regulator Douglas McIldoon over Phoenix Natural Gas, which represents more than half of East Surrey's sales."<ref>{{cite news |date=October 18, 2005 |title=Phoenix Gas takeover to go ahead |newspaper= News Letter |publisher=Century Newspapers Limited }}</ref>

In 2008 Phoenix sold the Belfast Gas Transmission Pipeline system to Northern Ireland Energy Holdings for £99.3 million. The pipeline carries natural gas from the end of the SNIP to Larne, Carrickfergus and across Belfast Lough to Knocknagoney where it connects with Phoenix's network. Phoenix was obliged to sell the pipeline as part of a licensing agreement with NIAUR.<ref>{{cite news |last=Manley |first=John |date=March 31, 2008 |title=Energy company promises to cut prices after buying pipeline |newspaper=Irish News }}</ref>

In May 2012 SSE plc's Airtricity subsidiary purchased Phoenix Supply Limited and Phoenix Energy Limited (its Republic of Ireland supply business) for £19.1 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ranscombe |first=Peter |date=May 17, 2012 |title=Turbines wind up profits as SSE eyes further acquisitions|newspaper=The Scotsman |publisher=Johnston Press Plc }}</ref>

Terra Firma sold Phoenix Natural Gas to Hastings Funds Management in 2013 for £700 million.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 3, 2013|title=Terra Firma gas deal |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph }}</ref> Hastings Fund Management's international division, renamed Vantage Infrastructure in 2018, manages 50% of Phoenix Natural Gas on behalf of the RBS Group Pension Fund. The remaining 50% stake is owned by the Utilities Trust of Australia.

In December 2015 the Utility Regulator approved a licence extension for Phoenix Natural Gas to develop the natural gas network in 13 new towns in East Down including; Anahilt, Ballygowan, Ballynahinch, Castlewellan, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Dromore, Drumaness, Dundrum, Hillsborough, Newcastle, Saintfield and the Spa.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/phoenix-gas-to-extend-to-13-new-towns-in-co-down-31591680.html|title=Phoenix Gas to extend to 13 new towns in Co Down|work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk|access-date=2019-03-06|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> The £60m private investment by the company sees natural gas being made available to an additional 28,000 properties in these areas.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.uregni.gov.uk/uploads/publications/2015-10-15_Consultation_Notice_to_Extend_the_Licence_Area_and_Modify_Licence_of_PNGL_-_East_Down.pdf|title = Utility regulator, Northern Ireland. Notice to extend.|date = 2015-10-16|access-date = 2015-11-20|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151120204932/http://www.uregni.gov.uk/uploads/publications/2015-10-15_Consultation_Notice_to_Extend_the_Licence_Area_and_Modify_Licence_of_PNGL_-_East_Down.pdf|archive-date = 2015-11-20|url-status = dead}}</ref> Construction commenced in early 2016 with Ballygowan being the first town to connect to the network, and will continue until an estimated completion date of 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.downnews.co.uk/mayor-welcomes-ballygowan-gas-connection/|title=Mayor Welcomes Ballygowan Gas Connection {{!}} Down News|date=3 January 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-06}}</ref>

In May 2023, the company rebranded from Phoenix Natural Gas to Phoenix Energy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=MadebyMint |date=2025-03-13 |title=Group History |url=https://phoenixenergyni.com/about-us/phoenix-group/group-history |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Phoenix Energy |language=en}}</ref> The rebrand was to reflect their plans to transition from natural gas to renewable gas solutions, such as hydrogen and biomethane.

==References== {{reflist}} *{{Cite web | last = Robertson | first = Elliot | author2=Butt, Nathalie | title = Natural Gas and Northern Ireland – The Implications of Connection | work = Lower carbon futures for European households | publisher = Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford | year = 2000 | url = http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/downloads/lcfreport/appendix-n.pdf | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110719045310/http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/downloads/lcfreport/appendix-n.pdf | url-status = live | archive-date= 2011-07-19 }}

==External links== *[http://www.phoenixnaturalgas.com Official site] * [http://www.uregni.gov.uk/ Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation] * BBC News 19 January 2006 [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4626912.stm Gas firm under fire over prices] * BBC News 30 January 2006 [https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4662412.stm Phoenix loses gas market monopoly]

{{Energy in the United Kingdom|companies}}

Category:Utilities of the United Kingdom Category:Oil and gas companies of Northern Ireland Category:Natural gas in Northern Ireland