Lisboagás GDL

History

1848

In 1848, the first contract for the supply of gas to the city of Lisbon was signed between the City Hall and Companhia Lisbonense de Iluminação a Gás.

1885

With the inclusion of the municipalities of Belém and Olivais in the municipality of Lisbon, the obligations of the lighting operator increased. Companhia Lisbonense was hesitant, given the financial sacrifices required to install new and extensive piping, and feared for the future of gas lighting, which was uncertain given the development of electric lighting. This standstill led the City Hall to terminate the contract.

1887

• In April, the City Hall announced in newspapers in Lisbon, Berlin, Brussels, London, and Paris the opening of a tender for the supply of gas to the city of Lisbon.
• Incorporation of a second gas lighting company – Gás de Lisboa – resulting from the association of S.A. d’Eclairage du Centre with S.A. Credit General de Belgique, Banque d’Escomptes de Paris, Compagnie Générale pour l’Eclairage et le Chauffage par le Gaz S.A., from Belgium, Compagnie Générale Française et Continentale d’Eclairage and three other Belgian and French entities.
• Lisbonense did not cease its activity and kept its factory in Rua da Boa Vista operating, competing with Gás de Lisboa in the supply of gas to individual consumers. As it was impossible to merge the two companies, it became necessary to build another factory. The only available council land, by the river, was around the Torre de Belém, so the City Hall, seeing no other alternative, made it available for the construction of the new operator’s factory. The decision was controversial, with Her Majesty Queen Maria Pia herself protesting in vain.

1891

Both companies – Lisbonense de Iluminação a Gáz and Gás de Lisboa – decided to merge, creating Sociedade Companhias Reunidas Gáz e Eletricidade (CRGE).

1938

After several years of negotiation to transfer the factory to a new site, engineer Duarte Pacheco, who was also Minister of Public Works and Mayor, deemed it preferable to build a new one for technical and practical reasons.

Quinta da Matinha was the site chosen for the installation of the new gas factory, whose construction became urgent due to the approaching date of the Exhibition of the Portuguese World, to be held in Belém. The State was tasked with the construction of the embankment and a pier-bridge at Matinha, while the City Hall would pay for the installation of the new piping, with a total length of 14km, connecting the new plant to the existing network. The construction costs of the factory itself were the responsibility of the merged companies.

1944

After some delays due to the ongoing war, the factory was inaugurated on January 8th 1944. The new facilities occupied four of the 20 hectares reclaimed from the river.

1957

Taking into account the most modern processes for producing city gas and the needs resulting from the ever-increasing consumption of gas, CRGE, SACOR, and other important companies of the time decided in August 1957 to set up Sociedade Portuguesa de Petroquímica, SARL with the purpose of gasifying products and by-products from the SACOR refinery in Cabo Ruivo for the production of manufactured gas and ammonia.

1961

The new industrial complex, located in Cabo Ruivo, between Quinta da Matinha and the Sacor refinery, started up in 1961 with the integrated production of ammonia, hydrogen, and city gas, based on the partial oxidation of naphtha through the TEXACO process, with CRGE abandoning gas production from hard coal distillation. A second ammonia and city gas plant, using the ICI naphtha reforming process, started up in 1968. In 1961, CRGE began to distribute the city gas produced by Sociedade Portuguesa de Petroquímica (S.P.P.), decommissioning its plant.

At the end of the 1960s, the Sacor Group, which at the time included S.P.P., the predecessor of Gás de Portugal (GDP), sets up GEOGÁS with the participation of this company and Gás Cidla. This company was in charge of the first feasibility studies for the introduction of Natural Gas in the country.

1975

• SPP was renamed Empresa de Petroquímica e Gás (EPG).
• While EPG ensured the production of City Gas, Eletricidade de Portugal (EDP), established by the merger of all Portuguese companies that produced and distributed electricity, ensured its distribution to Lisbon and its surroundings, since CRGE had been nationalised and integrated into EDP.

1979

EPG merged with Petrofibras to create PGP – Petroquímica e Gás de Portugal.

1983

Seeking the most suitable strategic alternatives, this company set up a working group within its Development Department to resume the studies leading to the introduction of Natural Gas in the country, which had been started by GEOGAS, a company that was terminated during the nationalisation period of 74/76. The studies had significant developments in the areas of maritime terminal selection, environmental impact analyses, and technical-economic-financial studies.

1988

Following the government’s decision to proceed with the introduction of Natural Gas, the distribution of City Gas was transferred from EDP to GDP and the nucleus of companies under concession for the transport and distribution of Natural Gas was established.

1989

The Company acquired the status of Public Limited Company and changed its name to GDP – Gás de Portugal, S.A. Its goal was to boost the constitution of the Natural Gas cluster and develop its emerging market.

1994

Lisboagás was certified by APCER, in accordance with the Portuguese standard NP EN ISO 9002, in the field of Piped Fuel Gas Distribution.

1995

The restructuring of GDP-Gás de Portugal, S.A. was decided, with the aim of:

• Transforming GDP-Gás de Portugal, S.A. into a Holding Company (SGPS).
• Provide autonomy to the Gas Distribution concession in the Lisbon region through a new company: GDL – Sociedade Distribuidora de Gás Natural de Lisboa, S.A. – this company would carry on the traditions of GDP – Gás de Portugal, S.A. both in terms of expanding its activities and extending the network to new neighbouring municipalities, and ensuring the continued provision of a public service recognised as high-quality to its customers and consumers;

1998

• Launch of the Lisboagás brand.
• During 1998, the GDP Group underwent changes as a result, on the one hand, of the award of two new nationwide concession areas for the distribution of piped fuel gas – Beiragás (50%) and Tagusgás (20.5%) – and, on the other, of the sale of two of the companies, Engigás and Ibergás.
• Conversely, in October 1998, GDL – Sociedade Distribuidora de Gás Natural de Lisboa, S.A., created the Lisboagás brand, with the aim of standardising the commercial designation of the GDP Group’s distribution companies, creating a more commercially impactful image and developing a new commercial dynamic, geared towards the customer and the provision of high-quality services.

1999

During 1999, the group sold and began to dispose of some of its companies. The GDP Group was made up of companies operating in the energy sector, mainly in the area of Natural Gas, with activities related to the supply, transport and storage, supply to large customers, and distribution, geared towards a multi-service market.

The Group’s mission was “to support the modernisation of our country by leading and developing the Natural Gas Project, bringing a new clean, competitive and efficient energy source.”

In April 1999, Galp Energia was set up as a holding company to restructure the oil and gas sector in Portugal. At the time, it held 100% of Petrogal (active in oil production and exploration and in the refining and marketing of oil products) and 100% of GDP, Gás de Portugal (which is engaged in the import and transportation of natural gas, through Transgás, and the distribution of natural gas through six regional distributors).

The GDP Group included all the companies that had played a leading role in the Natural Gas Project, namely the distributor of high-pressure gas and the regional distributors of Natural Gas, GDP – Sistemas de Informação and Gasfomento.

Lisboagás was the operator for the distribution of Natural Gas in the 15 municipalities of the Lisbon district. This company was involved in the major gas changeover project in the city of Lisbon (completed at the end of 2001). This project consisted of changing the supply of around 230,000 consumers from City Gas to Natural Gas

2004

In December, Lisboagás obtained certification for its Integrated Quality, Safety and Environment Management System, in accordance with the NP EN ISO 14001:1999, NP EN ISO 9001:2000 and OHSAS 18001:1999 standards.

2005

Lisboagás was certified in accordance with the 2004 version of the NP EN ISO 14001 standard.