AGL Energy

1837–2006: Australian Gas Light Company

The Australian Gas Light Company was formed in Sydney in 1837, and supplied town gas for the first public lighting of a street lamp in Sydney in 1841. The company gradually diversified into electricity and into a number of different locations.

ActewAGL, a joint venture between the Australian Gas Light Company and Icon Water, a government-owned enterprise of the ACT Government, was formed in October 2000 as Australia's first utility joint venture. Twenty-five per cent owned by AGL Energy, ActewAGL provides electricity, natural gas, and telecommunication services to business and residential customers in the Australian Capital Territory and south-east New South Wales.

2006–present: AGL Energy

On 6 October 2006, the Australian Gas Light Company and Alinta merged and restructured to create two new listed companies, a restructured Alinta Ltd and AGL Energy Ltd.

In Victoria, in June 2012, AGL Energy acquired Loy Yang A Power Station and the Loy Yang coal mine. Loy Yang A has four generating units with a combined capacity of 2,200 MW.

In New South Wales, in September 2014 AGL Energy acquired Macquarie Generation from the New South Wales Government for $1.5 billion. Macquarie Generation's assets included the 2,640 MW Bayswater Power Station, the 2,000 MW Liddell Power Station, the 50 MW Hunter Valley Gas Turbines and the Liddell Solar Thermal Project. From the two thermal coal power stations and two oil-fired gas turbines, Macquarie Generation supplies approximately 12% of the National Electricity Market and 30% of the New South Wales electricity market. In early stages, Macquarie has commenced development of solar thermal power as a renewable source of energy.

AGL announced in April 2015 and reaffirmed in September 2017 that it intends to close the Liddell Power Station in 2022. The closure of this and other coal-burning power stations in Australia led to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, to seek advice from the Australian Energy Market Operator on extending the life of a number of them, to head off future power shortages. Turnbull said the government had been advised that if the Liddell plant were to close in 2022, there would be a 1,000 MW gap in base load, dispatchable power generation.

In 2018, AGL was among 17 energy businesses that supported the launch of the Energy Charter, a global initiative aimed at bringing together all parts of the power supply chain to give customers more affordable and reliable energy.

In 2019, AGL entered the telecommunications industry with the purchase of Southern Phone, a regional telecommunications company. In September 2020, AGL signed an agreement to acquire energy retailer Click Energy from Amaysim for $115 million. The company began selling broadband Internet services under its own brand in November 2020 and, in February 2021, it launched AGL Mobile, a mobile phone service provider.

AGL has a diverse power generation portfolio—including base, peaking and intermediate generation plants—spread across traditional thermal generation as well as renewable sources including hydro and wind. The following tables listing significant assets are based on AGL's 2016 Annual Report.

Renewable energy

AGL owns 0.1% of Tilt Renewables, Australia's largest privately owned renewable energy company.

Upstream gas projects

In 2015 the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority ordered the suspension of AGL's Gloucester operations after finding toxic chemicals had been introduced into Hunter Water's systems. The EPA subsequently found no "evidence of harm to the environment or pollution of waters" and AGL was allowed to continue its Gloucester operations.

In February 2016, AGL announced that exploration and production of natural gas assets would no longer be a core business for the company. This followed years of campaigning, including protests at shareholder meetings and a non-violent blockade of exploration sites, by anti-CSG community group Groundswell Gloucester. This announcement included clarification that AGL would not proceed with the Gloucester gas project and that it would cease production at the Camden Gas Project in South West Sydney in 2023, twelve years earlier than previously proposed.