Subject to approval by the Irish Competition Authority, SSE said it hoped the purchase will be completed in the summer. With the sale, valued at £19.1 million, SSE will supply and bill 130,000 customers via its Airtricity business.
Alistair Phillips-Davies, generation and supply director of SSE, said:
“We are delighted to be entering into this agreement and see it as an exciting new chapter in the continued development of SSE in Northern Ireland
Aodhan O’Donnell, director of policy and education for Northern Ireland’s Consumer Council, said,
“The news that Airtricity will be buying (PSL) should not have any immediate impact on the existing customers of either company. Aside from a potential change in name PSL gas customers in Greater Belfast and Larne will continue to receive their gas supply without interruption.”
“Looking forward we would hope that this move could lead to new products for consumers and a strong focus on customer service. The prospect of Airtricity offering a ‘dual fuel’ tariff of both electricity and natural gas to its customers is welcome so long as it provides a genuine saving to consumers.”
Phoenix said it would focus on investing and growing Phoenix Natural Gas, which operates the Greater Belfast natural gas network and is responsible for making gas available to around half the population of Northern Ireland. The company said that was its “core business”, noting that it was connecting over 8,000 homes and businesses to its natural gas network every year.
Peter Dixon, group chief executive, Phoenix Energy Holdings, said: “Phoenix Natural Gas, our core business, is responsible for operating and extending our gas distribution network as well as developing and supporting the wider local natural gas industry. We have made no secret of the fact that our long-term ambition is to grow our distribution business. The activities undertaken by our gas supply businesses involve the buying of gas and billing customers for its use; these have been a separate stand-alone operation within the Phoenix Group for several years”.
Northern Ireland gas supplier Phoenix Energy Holdings is to sell its gas supply businesses to SSE.
Subject to approval by the Irish Competition Authority, SSE (via its Aitricity business) will supply and bill customers.
Phoenix said it would focus on investing and growing Phoenix Natural Gas, which operates the Greater Belfast natural gas network and is responsible for making gas available to around half the population of Northern Ireland. The company said that was its “core business”, noting that it was connecting over 8,000 homes and businesses to its natural gas network every year.
Aodhan O’Donnell, director of policy and education for Northern Ireland’s Consumer Council, said,
“The news that Airtricity will be buying (PSL) should not have any immediate impact on the existing customers of either company. Aside from a potential change in name PSL gas customers in Greater Belfast and Larne will continue to receive their gas supply without interruption.”
“Looking forward we would hope that this move could lead to new products for consumers and a strong focus on customer service. The prospect of Airtricity offering a ‘dual fuel’ tariff of both electricity and natural gas to its customers is welcome so long as it provides a genuine saving to consumers.”
Peter Dixon, group chief executive, Phoenix Energy Holdings, said: “Phoenix Natural Gas, our core business, is responsible for operating and extending our gas distribution network as well as developing and supporting the wider local natural gas industry. We have made no secret of the fact that our long-term ambition is to grow our distribution business. The activities undertaken by our gas supply businesses involve the buying of gas and billing customers for its use; these have been a separate stand-alone operation within the Phoenix Group for several years”.