Phoenix Natural Gas and Kier recently scooped the accolade of ‘Utility Partner of the Year’ at the Utility Week Awards in London; an annual event showcasing the gold standard of achievement for UK utilities.
The two businesses have been working in partnership 1996, when together they set about building Northern Ireland’s first ever natural gas network, delivering a new energy source to domestic and commercial customers. Phoenix and Kier continue to design, build, and maintain a natural gas network that serves around 50% of Northern Ireland’s population, providing economic, social, and environmental value to the region.
The success of the partnership was further demonstrated by the recent completion of a sizeable gas network expansion project in East Down which made gas available to a further thirteen villages and towns. Operating in a more rural environment that spanned across four council areas, and effective stakeholder communication plan, detailed by both Phoenix and Kier, was a key feature of the project and the ability to compete works with minimum impact to local communities.
Speaking about the award, Denver Wasson, Director of Engineering for Phoenix Natural Gas said; “At Phoenix, partnership working is one of our core business values. We understand that we wouldn’t be able to achieve the success that we have today without the input of our stakeholders, so to be acknowledged by Utility Week for our partnership with Kier really cements our values and allows us to showcase effective partnership in action.
“Such partnerships will be increasingly important to our business as we embark on introducing renewable gas solutions into our network, supporting Northern Ireland’s decarbonisation ambitions.”
Kier Utilities operations director, Cormac O’Donnell added; “The award recognises that collaborative partnerships deliver best value for clients, customers and stakeholders. We are extremely proud of our partnership with Phoenix and the social, economic and environmental benefits that it has delivered since 1996.”
