Celebrating 20 years of growth and promoting the move to a greener future for Northern Ireland

2025 marks a significant milestone for firmus energy networks – 20 years at the heart of energy infrastructure development in Northern Ireland.

In 2005, firmus energy was awarded licences to develop the gas network and supply gas to homes and businesses within the ‘Ten Towns’ area – a network area which arches from Derry in the northwest to Newry in the southeast.

Our company has grown from a new entrant into Northern Ireland’s energy landscape to become a key player in Northern Ireland’s transition to a lower carbon economy. Core to our success over the last 20 years has been our commitment to safety, innovation, customer service, and environmental stewardship.

Two decades of delivering energy solutions

Over the last 20 years, firmus energy networks has invested significantly in the design, construction and operation of a modern gas network. Our world class, and much envied, polyethylene (PE) network now extends to 2,200km, passing over 200,000 homes and businesses with 74,000 customers already connected. We are laser-focussed on continuing to grow connections to our network and on bringing the benefits of natural gas, and indeed the potential for renewable gas, to those who are still reliant on more polluting alternatives.

The development of our network infrastructure has not only delivered convenience and efficiency to households and businesses, but it has also materially contributed to lower carbon emissions, and a cleaner environment for everyone in Northern Ireland.

In addition, our network expansion has created hundreds of local jobs, as well as supporting local supply chains. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has played a key role in the development of our network, with significant and ongoing involvement in many communities across our network area. We do not consider CSR a ‘nice to have’ – it has been an integral part of how we have undertaken our business operations for the last 20 years and it is deeply embedded in how we will continue to grow our business over the next 20 years.

A strategic shift with the sale of the retail business in 2024

In 2024, firmus energy made a transformative decision to sell firmus energy Supply (the retail business). This move reflects a strategic realignment and comes at a time when the energy sector locally, nationally, and indeed internationally is evolving rapidly, not least driven by ambitions for a lower carbon future.
By selling the supply arm of our business, which provides retail gas supply to c.110,000 customers across Northern Ireland, we have sharpened our focus on our core strategic ambitions: infrastructure development, network operations and injection of renewable gas into our network.

The ‘firmus energy’ brand will continue on with the retail business, and this company will stay as ‘firmus energy Supply’. We have worked closely with the new owners of firmus energy Supply, stakeholders and the Utility Regulator to ensure a smooth transition and continued quality of service for all customers.

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At firmus energy networks, we are currently working on a rebranding project. The launch of our new brand will happen later in 2025, so watch this space!

“Our values, commitment and drive for improving the energy landscape in Northern Ireland will remain as steadfast as it has been since our inception in 2005..”

A lower carbon future with biomethane

As Northern Ireland progresses towards ambitious decarbonisation goals, firmus energy networks is poised and committed to playing an important role in delivering this energy transition. The production and injection of biomethane into Northern Ireland’s gas networks has the potential to make a significant contribution to our region’s energy transition, whilst also supporting the economic vision of the DfE Minister through:

• The creation of ‘good jobs’: Analysis by KPMG suggests the creation of 1,500 jobs for 1.5TWh of biomethane injected into the network.

• Regional balance: The gas operators in Northern Ireland undertook a Request for Information in 2024, which highlighted the potential for biomethane production across Northern Ireland. The following map highlights AD plants in operation or in planning, and for which the total potential for biomethane equates to 3.5TWh, or 90 per cent of Northern Ireland’s industrial and commercial gas demand:

• Productivity: The establishment of a biomethane sector in Northern Ireland has the potential to deliver highly productive investment. At firmus energy networks, we are playing an important part to invest in skills, research and development, and innovation. In 2024, we launched a scholarship programme in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Engineering – BEng (Hons) course at the Ulster University campus in Derry.

• Reducing carbon emissions: Since the arrival of natural gas to Northern Ireland in 1996, the gas industry has already made a significant difference to the quality of our environment.

The introduction of renewable biomethane into our gas networks will reduce emissions even further and be seamless for current gas customers and their appliances.

Here is to the next 20 years!

Celebrating 20 years in business is something we are very proud of. firmus energy networks has transformed the energy landscape outside greater Belfast, giving 200,000 homes and businesses immediate access to natural gas.

Our network offers the potential to make an integral contribution to the further decarbonisation of heat in Northern Ireland, with the injection of biomethane.

Core to our success is not just what we have done, but how we have done it.

We might be changing our name and branding later in 2025, but our values, commitment and drive for improving the energy landscape in Northern Ireland will remain as steadfast as it has been since our inception in 2005.

W: www.firmusenergy.co.uk