50 years of Bord Gáis Energy: How we've powered Ireland

By The Bord Gáis Energy Team - Published 25 May 2026

Fifty years is a long time in energy. When Bord Gáis Éireann was founded in 1976, most Irish homes had never heard of natural gas. Today, we're helping homeowners generate their own electricity, fitting heat pumps, and training the engineers who'll lead Ireland's green transition.

A lot has changed. Here are the moments that got us here.

The beginning: building Ireland’s gas network (1976–1985)
Making our mark: growth, culture and the 50/50 era (1987–2006)
Getting bigger: electricity, wind and a theatre (2007–2013)
Stepping up: responsibility and community (2014–2019)
The green shift: solar, retrofits and net zero (2020–2025)
What’s next: Know your power (2026)

The beginning: Bord Gáis Éireann building Ireland's gas network (1976–1985)

It started with a field off the Cork coast.

In 1976, the Irish Government established Bord Gáis Éireann, a state utility tasked with one job: get natural gas from the Kinsale Head gas field to the people who needed it. By 1978, the first gas had come ashore at Inch, Co. Cork. By 1979, two customers were connected: an ESB power station and the NET Fertiliser Plant at Marino Point.

Then in 1982 came the big one: a 210km high-pressure pipeline linking Cork to Dublin. It became the backbone of Ireland’s national gas network currently owned and operated by Gas Networks Ireland, which still underpins gas supply today. In the supply side of the business, we were responsible for attracting and signing up customers to use the new gas network.

Making our mark: growth, culture and the 50/50 era (1987–2006)

Ask anyone of a certain vintage about Bord Gáis, and they'll start humming the jingle. The 1987 "50/50 Cashback" campaign became one of the most iconic ads in Irish energy history, proof that a utility could be genuinely memorable.

The network kept growing too. In 1996, a gas field was discovered off Ireland's west coast, the first major find in 25 years. The Corrib field took time to develop, but when it came online in 2015, it was supplying up to 60% of Ireland's gas needs.

Then in 2002, Bord Gáis Éireann made the biggest infrastructure investment yet: a €300m+ pipeline completing the Dublin–Cork–Limerick–Galway ring. Towns across the midlands and west got access to natural gas for the first time. And in 2005, Bord Gáis Éireann crossed the border, establishing Firmus Energy and bringing gas to parts of Northern Ireland that had never had it.

Getting bigger: electricity, wind and a theatre (2007–2013)

In 2007, Bord Gáis Éireann rebranded its customer supply business to Bord Gáis Energy. Not just a rebrand, a signal. We were expanding beyond gas.

Two years later, Bord Gáis Energy launched residential electricity supply. The "Big Switch" campaign was a phenomenon: over 400,000 customers switched in the first year. The Irish energy market genuinely shifted on its axis.

In 2010, Bord Gáis Energy acquired SWS Natural Resources, a major Irish wind operator with 179MW of capacity and committed €700m to renewable generation. That same year, Whitegate power station in Co. Cork came online: 445MW of capacity, supplying around 10% of Ireland's electricity demand.

And in 2012, The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on Grand Canal Dock became home to some of Ireland's biggest live events and our customers got first access through Unmissable Rewards.

Stepping up: responsibility and community (2014–2019)

2014 was a turning point. Centrica, parent company of British Gas, acquired Bord Gáis Energy, and the retail gas market fully deregulated. Real competition arrived. We had to earn every customer.

Some commitments don't show up in the numbers. In 2015, we launched a 10-year partnership with Focus Ireland, contributing over €7.5 million and helping around 8,500 families facing homelessness. It remains one of the things we're most proud of.

In 2017, we became the official sponsor of the GAA All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Hurling is in the DNA of this country. Being part of that matters.

And in 2018, we launched localheroes.ie, connecting homeowners with vetted local tradespeople, backed by a 12-month BGE guarantee. Because energy is only part of what a home needs.

The green shift: solar, retrofits and net zero (2020–2025)

Ireland has set a target: 51% cut in emissions by 2030. Net-zero by 2050. These aren't distant ambitions, they're happening now.

In 2023, we completed our first residential solar PV installations. That same year, we launched our Apprenticeship Scheme, training the next generation of service engineers in heat pumps, EV charging and energy efficiency. Seventy apprentices over five years. Around 300 new roles. The skills Ireland needs, built from the ground up.

Also in 2023, we began construction on two new hydrogen-ready peaker plants in Dublin and Athlone, a €250m investment that keeps the grid stable when wind and solar output dips; flexible, fast-response backup for a renewable future.

In 2024, our solar partnership with the Irish Farmers' Association went live, helping farms of all sizes generate their own electricity. And in 2025, we launched our SEAI-recognised One Stop Shop retrofit service, giving homeowners a single point of contact for everything from energy audits to heat pump installation.

We also acquired Swyft Energy, a Cork-based solar installer with a smart remote survey platform. The target: 10,000 solar installations over five years.

What's next: Know Your Power (2026)

This year, we turned 50. And we launched something new.

"Know Your Power" is our new brand platform, a campaign rolling out across TV, digital and outdoor that reframes what Bord Gáis Energy actually is. Not just the company that sends your gas bill but an energy partner that helps you take control with smart thermostats, solar panels, EV charging, retrofits and flexible plans.

Energy doesn't have to be confusing. We're here to make it simple.

Fifty years down. A net-zero future ahead. We're glad you're with us for it.