Phoenix Energy Marks 30 Years of Gas Connections in Northern Ireland

Key Points

• Phoenix Energy is marking 30 years since it introduced natural gas to Northern Ireland in 1996.
• The company has developed a gas network extending for more than 4,000km across Greater Belfast, Larne and East Down.
• Around 266,500 homes and businesses are now connected to the Phoenix network, while natural gas is available to more than 375,000 properties.
• More than 2,500 people are employed across the wider local gas industry, including installers, retailers, training centres and trade merchants.
• Phoenix Energy currently employs 181 people locally, according to the company’s anniversary announcement.
• Group Chief Executive Officer Kailash Chada said the anniversary provides an opportunity to recognise the contribution of employees, communities and businesses.
• Phoenix is looking towards renewable gas, including biomethane, as it considers how its existing infrastructure could support Northern Ireland’s lower-carbon energy transition.
• Anniversary activities have included a video for customers and an employee celebration at Finnebrogue Woods.
• Phoenix’s wider corporate information says the company was established in 1996 and operates the largest natural gas distribution network locally.
• The company says its future plans include using existing infrastructure to support renewable gas solutions such as biomethane and hydrogen.

Ireland Now News (INN) October 2, 2026 – Phoenix Energy is marking 30 years since it first introduced natural gas to Northern Ireland, highlighting the expansion of its distribution network, the number of homes and businesses now connected and the wider employment supported by the local gas industry. The company says its network has grown to more than 4,000km across Greater Belfast, Larne and East Down, with around 266,500 homes and businesses connected and natural gas available to more than 375,000 properties. The anniversary is also being used to outline Phoenix Energy’s focus on renewable gas, including biomethane, as it considers the future role of its existing infrastructure in a lower-carbon energy system.

The figures were set out by Phoenix Energy in an announcement marking the company’s 30th anniversary. Phoenix said the milestone represents three decades of investment since its first mains were laid and its first customer was connected in 1996. The company linked the development of its network with changes in energy choice for domestic and business users across its licensed operating area.

Phoenix Energy’s own company information states that it was established in 1996 and is responsible for introducing the benefits of natural gas to Northern Ireland. It says the company now owns and operates the largest natural gas distribution network locally, with gas availability extended to more than 350,000 properties and more than 250,000 customers connected to the network.

How has Phoenix Energy’s gas network developed over 30 years?

The network has expanded substantially since the first customer connection in 1996. Phoenix Energy says its infrastructure now stretches beyond 4,000km and covers Greater Belfast, Larne and East Down.

The anniversary announcement puts the number of connected homes and businesses at approximately 266,500, while natural gas is available to more than 375,000 properties. The figures demonstrate the scale of the infrastructure built since the company began developing the network.

Phoenix Energy’s 2025 Responsible Business Report provides additional historical context. It recorded more than 4,000km of pipeline and 261,500 connected domestic and business customers at that stage, with gas available to approximately 371,500 properties. The report also recorded further network construction during 2024.

The latest anniversary figures therefore represent continued growth from the levels recorded in the company’s previous reporting.

The network is not simply a collection of pipelines. Phoenix says it is responsible for the development and maintenance of its infrastructure, as well as operating a 24-hour network and transportation platform for natural gas suppliers and consumers within its licence area.

What role does the gas industry play in Northern Ireland’s local economy?

Phoenix Energy says the growth of the network has supported a wider local industry and supply chain employing more than 2,500 people.

Those jobs extend beyond Phoenix itself. The company identifies independent installers, retailers, training centres and trade merchants among the businesses and organisations connected with the wider gas industry.

Phoenix says it currently employs 181 people locally. The anniversary announcement also highlighted the involvement of successive generations of employees in building, maintaining and developing the network during the past three decades.

The company’s 2026 Responsible Business Report similarly states that Northern Ireland’s local natural gas industry employs more than 2,500 people across the wider supply chain, with much of that activity taking place through small independently run businesses.

Phoenix’s company information also states that the wider natural gas industry has supported employment among installers, manufacturers, retailers and suppliers, while the company says it has invested more than £500 million into the local economy.

These figures place the anniversary in a broader economic context, showing that the network’s development has involved a range of businesses rather than Phoenix Energy alone.

What did Kailash Chada say about Phoenix Energy’s 30th anniversary?

Kailash Chada, Group Chief Executive Officer at Phoenix Energy, said the 30-year milestone was an opportunity to recognise the company’s achievements alongside the people and communities involved in its development.

In a statement issued by Phoenix Energy, Chada said the anniversary was significant not only for the company but also for the people and communities with which it had worked.

He highlighted households and businesses that had gained access to gas, as well as Phoenix employees and people working across the wider industry.

Chada said the company’s history was connected with local people, businesses and communities and the relationships that had developed during the previous 30 years.

He also turned attention towards the company’s next stage, saying Phoenix wanted its existing network to continue delivering value for Northern Ireland.

According to the statement issued by Phoenix Energy, Chada identified renewable gas, including biomethane, as an opportunity to build on existing infrastructure while supporting a more sustainable energy future.

He also emphasised the company’s intention to continue providing what he described as a safe and reliable service for customers.

Phoenix’s corporate information confirms that Chada has served as Group Chief Executive Officer since April 2023, having previously been Group Chief Finance Officer.

Why is renewable gas becoming part of Phoenix Energy’s future plans?

The anniversary comes as Phoenix Energy considers how an established gas network could be used in a changing energy system.

Phoenix says it is supporting the development of renewable gas, including biomethane, and is exploring how its existing infrastructure can continue serving homes and businesses as Northern Ireland moves towards a lower-carbon energy system.

The company’s dedicated information on its 30-year milestone says it intends to use its existing network to deliver greener gas solutions such as biomethane and hydrogen as society moves towards net zero.

Phoenix’s company information similarly states that it is working with industry partners on lower-carbon energy solutions and identifies biomethane and hydrogen among the renewable gas solutions it is considering for delivery through existing infrastructure.

This approach means the company’s future plans are not limited to continued development of the conventional natural gas network. Instead, Phoenix is examining how infrastructure already built over three decades could have a role in delivering alternative gases.

The company has not presented the anniversary announcement as a completed transition to renewable gas. Rather, it describes renewable gas development and the use of existing infrastructure as part of the next stage of its work.

How was Phoenix Energy’s 30th anniversary marked?

Phoenix Energy has marked the anniversary through a series of activities during the month.

The company released an anniversary video through its customer-facing channels, providing a public element to the celebrations.

It also held an event at Finnebrogue Woods for Phoenix colleagues, recognising the contribution of employees past and present.

Ahead of that gathering, Chada encouraged employees to reflect on what Phoenix described as the transformational role played by the local gas network during the previous 30 years.

He also referred to the organisation’s future work on sustainable, secure and affordable energy solutions for future generations.

Phoenix’s dedicated 30-year anniversary material describes people, partnerships and communities as central themes of the company’s history and says the organisation is focusing on what comes next as the energy system changes.

What does Phoenix Energy’s existing infrastructure provide?

Phoenix Energy operates a regulated gas distribution network covering Greater Belfast, Larne and East Down.

Its company information says the network extends across nearly 4,000km and provides a 24-hour operation and transportation platform for natural gas suppliers and consumers in its licence area. The company is regulated under licence by the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation and operates under a framework that includes price-control reviews and licence obligations.

The company’s 2025 Responsible Business Report also described a network based largely on high-density polyethylene pipe and supported by remote monitoring technology. It reported a 24-hour network control room, emergency call centre and emergency response team.

The same report said Phoenix completed 19,000 asset replacement jobs during 2024 and carried out 57,000 routine and responsive maintenance jobs during that year.

These operational details are relevant to the company’s anniversary because they show that maintaining the existing network remains a continuing activity alongside consideration of its longer-term energy role.

What is the background to Phoenix Energy’s development since 1996?

Phoenix Energy was established in 1996, the same year in which it laid its first mains and connected its first customer, according to company records.

Over the following decades, the network expanded across Greater Belfast, Larne and East Down. Phoenix’s 2025 reporting showed the network had exceeded 4,000km and recorded 261,500 connected domestic and business customers at that point.

The company’s earlier reporting also documents the gradual increase in connections from the 1990s through to 2024. The 2025 report recorded 261,500 connected customers and gas availability to approximately 371,500 properties at the end of the reported period.

Phoenix has therefore developed from an organisation beginning with a new gas network in 1996 into a major regulated gas distribution business serving hundreds of thousands of connected customers.

The company’s present anniversary announcement places that historical development alongside its plans to investigate the role of renewable gases and existing infrastructure in the future energy system.

How could the 30th anniversary affect Phoenix Energy customers and the wider gas industry?

The immediate significance for customers is the scale of the network that Phoenix Energy says is already available across its operating area, with approximately 266,500 homes and businesses connected and natural gas available to more than 375,000 properties.

For businesses operating around the gas network, the company’s figures also indicate the importance of the wider supply chain, which Phoenix says supports more than 2,500 jobs.

Looking ahead, the potential implications will depend on how renewable gas technologies and Northern Ireland’s wider energy policies develop. Phoenix has specifically identified biomethane and other renewable gas solutions as areas of interest and says it is examining how existing infrastructure could support the transition towards lower-carbon energy.

The company has not announced that natural gas will immediately be replaced across its network. Its stated approach is to explore how infrastructure already in place can contribute to future energy solutions while continuing to serve existing customers.

For installers, suppliers, training organisations and other businesses connected to the gas industry, any future change in the gases transported through the network could affect skills, equipment, standards and business requirements. The precise scale and timing of those effects will depend on future technical, regulatory and market developments.

For households and businesses connected to Phoenix’s network, the company’s stated direction indicates that the existing infrastructure is being considered as part of the longer-term transition rather than treated solely as a legacy asset.

Phoenix Energy’s anniversary therefore marks both a historical milestone and a point of transition. The company is celebrating three decades of network development while simultaneously examining how that infrastructure could be used as Northern Ireland’s energy system changes.

The available evidence shows that the next phase remains focused on development and exploration, particularly around renewable gas such as biomethane, rather than representing a completed change in the network’s energy mix.