Our history

Australia’s first gas company. The Australian Gas Light company is created by ‘An Act for lighting with Gas the Town of Sydney’.

Big city, bright lights. We lit the first gas lamp in Australia – a street lamp in Sydney. Within two years there are 165 more lamps in operation.

Australians get a taste for late-night shopping for the first time, thanks to AGL gas lighting.

We introduce gas purification, allowing town gas to be used to light Australian homes.

Going public. We become the second company to list on the then Sydney Stock Exchange.

We import the country’s first gas-cooking stove for our Darling Harbour store. It costs us a grand total of £4.

Cooking with gas. Aussies get their first chance to rent or buy gas stoves, which we advertise in cooking books.

340 AGL people serve in the Great War. Forty-five never return, and many more suffer lasting physical and mental scars.

Governor of New South Wales, Admiral Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair, K.C.B., M.V.D. unveils a tablet at the AGL Gasworks Memorial, now known as the Breakfast Point War Memorial, commemorating the courage and sacrifice of AGL people who served in the Great War.

Gas-tronomical. Before MasterChef, there were AGL gas-cooking classes. By 1936, 59,000 people have taken part to understand the benefits of this new resource.

We introduce natural gas to Sydney and install the longest pipeline in Australia – all the way to South Australia.

We pioneer a new nylon pipe technology called Goldline. Fed through the existing pipes, it reduces gas leakages from the old NSW network and eliminates 13 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

The start of a new solar system. We commission the solar generator at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. It has 1,250 solar cells, each with a capacity of 80 W, and covers more than 2,000 square meters.

And the winner is… Remember Cathy Freeman lighting the cauldron at the 2000 Olympics opening ceremony by touching the Olympic torch to the water? We played a small part – producing the combustion mechanism that made it happen.

We publish our first Sustainability Report. It provides a transparent account of our performance, our commitments to the environment, and how we’re tackling social and economic risks and opportunities.

We buy Southern Hydro – making us the largest privately owned operator of hydro power stations in Australia and the owner of Wattle Point Wind Farm. It adds over 700 MW of renewable power generation capacity to our portfolio.

• Becoming AGL Energy. Shareholders approve the merger of AGL’s infrastructure assets with Alinta Limited, and the subsequent separation of AGL Energy (PDF). Once approved by the Federal Court, we begin trading on the Australian Stock Exchange on 12 October 2006 as AGL Energy under the AGK ticker code.
  
  
• Our first Greenhouse gas policy. We accept the emerging scientific consensus that greenhouse gases in our atmosphere need to be stabilised at concentrations of below 550 parts per million to avoid ‘dangerous’ climate change.
  
  
• Construction of the AGL Hallett wind farms in South Australia kicks off.

1. We buy the 1,280 MW gas-fired Torrens Island Power Station, the largest generator in South Australia.
   
   
2. AGL lists as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, the leading global ranking of sustainability, becoming the only Australian energy retailer to achieve this status.
   
   
3. The power of giving. We reach a milestone of contributing $1 million to our Employee Giving charity partners.

Emissions trading. We become the first Australian company to publicly disclose the potential financial impacts of a future emissions trading scheme on its business.

Our Bogong Power Station opens in Victoria. It’s the largest hydroelectric asset to be built on the Australian mainland for 25 years.
 

Breathing new light into a Melbourne icon. We restore the Skipping Girl sign (colloquially known as ‘Little Audrey’), the first animated neon sign in Australia and part of the iconography of inner-Melbourne.

Panda Power. We announce our sponsorship of Wang Wang and Funi, Adelaide Zoo’s new pandas. We deck their home out with solar power to help them reduce their carbon paw print.
 

A new memorial commemorating the courage and sacrifice of AGL people who served in World War I and World War II is unveiled by Her Excellency the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, at the Breakfast Point War Memorial.

AGL Energy Online launches – a tool to save our customers time and effort.
 

The AGL Hallett wind farms are complete, powering approximately 200,000 average Aussie homes.

Skipping on sunshine. Little Audrey turns 75. To celebrate, we set her up with solar power.
 

We celebrate our 175th anniversary.
 

We buy the 2,210 MW Loy Yang A Power Station and the adjacent Loy Yang Coal Mine.

The Macarthur Wind Farm opens. An investment of around $1 billion – half owned by AGL – the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere.

Energy affordability. We announce a $6.5 million initiative to provide greater support to energy customers. It includes investing $6 million to support hardship customers, early intervention to support vulnerable customers, improving comparability and transparency, offering direct contact with financial counsellors and community workers.
 

We buy Macquarie Generation, which includes the 2,640 MW Bayswater Power Station, the 2,000 MW Liddell Power Station and the 50 MW Hunter Valley Gas Turbines.
 

We change our ASX ticker code to 'AGL'.

Our commitment to a carbon-free future. Our updated Greenhouse Gas Policy provides a pathway for the gradual decarbonisation of our energy portfolio by 2050. Our ‘We Mean Business’ commitments make clear what we need to do to transition to a low carbon future.
 

We launch our battery storage device, the first of its kind in Australia.
 

Our Nyngan and Broken Hill solar plants achieve full generation, sending 330,000 MWh per year of renewable energy into the national market.
 

We pledge our support for marriage equality to recognise the rights of all AGL people to live and work, free of prejudice and discrimination, with the same essential freedoms.
 

Talking power in Paris. We support the Federal Government’s commitment to holding the global increase in average temperatures to below 2 degrees.
 

We burn the final briquette at AGL Loy Yang. Bringing an end to their 33-year history as the main reserve fuel source for the power station boilers.
 

The Newcastle Gas Storage Facility is completed. It plays a crucial role in ensuring the security of supply during peak demand or supply disruptions.
 

We say ‘no’ to domestic violence. Announcing support measures for our people and our customers, and lighting up our Melbourne office orange to help raise awareness of the issue.

The Nyngan and Broken Hill Solar Plants open. Producing around 330,000 MWh of renewable energy each year, they can power more than 50,000 average Aussie homes.
 

$1 a day, ‘all you can eat’. We announce our electric vehicle charging offer – customers with an AGL smart meter can get unlimited energy for their car for a dollar a day.
 

114,000 customers download the new AGL Energy App.
 

We partner with Dairy Connect to develop new energy solutions for dairy farmers.
 

We launch the Powering Australian Renewables Fund. It’s a $3 billion fund that will unlock investment in renewable energy – building and owning approximately 1,000 MW of new, large-scale renewable energy generation.
 

Customer Experience Transformation. We announce our AUD$300 million program to redefine how people can manage their energy and deliver an industry-leading customer experience.
 

We announce the world’s largest solar virtual power plant. The South Australian facility will include 1,000 connected batteries installed in homes and businesses in Adelaide, and provide 5 MW of peaking capacity.
 

Joining the Male Champions of Change. AGL joins Australia’s most influential leaders to advance change on gender equality issues.
 

We launch AGL Future Forests. For $1 a week, our customers can offset the carbon emissions associated with their household electricity usage and support native Australian forestry. The carbon offsets we purchase are also backed by the WWF’s Gold Standard – which is regarded as one of the highest standards of carbon credits in the world.
 

The Australian Workplace Equality Index sets the benchmark for LGBTI workplace inclusion. We rank 13 out of 87 entrants (6th of the publicly listed companies) earning us Silver Status.
 

We become a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, committing to ten sustainability principles in human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Going West. We open for business in Western Australia, supplying natural gas to customers.
 

Known for innovation. We enter the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies list in Australia and New Zealand at number 13, and win the Business Model Innovation Award.

 AGL’s Energy Insights program is launched, enabling customers to take control of their energy use.
 

Construction begins at Barker Inlet Power Station. AGL begins construction of the $295 million Barker Inlet Power Station in South Australia which is expected to employ about 200 people during the building phase.
 

We’re big fans of Wind power, with Silverton and Coopers Gap wind farm construction progressing well.
 

Move over Siri. AGL launches personalised energy voice services for the Google Assistant & Amazon Alexa.
 

AGL announces automatic discounts for all electricity customers who remain on a non-discounted standing offer for more than a year.

AGL has completed the first stage of a $70 million systems upgrade investment at its Bayswater power station in NSW.
 

Supporting our farmers. AGL launches $2 million program to help drought affected farmers cut debt and go solar.
 

AGL cuts electricity prices for standing offer customers as part of the Federal Government’s Default Market Offer (DMO) and Victorian Government’s (VDO).
 

AGL announces automatic discounts for all gas customers who have been on standing offers for more than a year.
 

Getting behind batteries. AGL launches new product offer to make home batteries more affordable for households in Adelaide.
 

AGL acquires Perth Energy.
 

Accelerating electric vehicle adoption. AGL launches a new offer for Electric Vehicle owners.
 

Moving into data and telecommunications. AGL acquires Southern Phone.