KeySpan Corporation was the fifth largest distributor of

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. KeySpan was formed in 1998 as a result of the merger of Brooklyn Union Gas Company (founded 1895 by merging several smaller companies) and

Long Island Lighting Company The Long Island Lighting Company, or LILCO "lil-co" was an electrical power company and natural gas utility for the communities of Long Island, New York, serving 2.7 million people in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties. ...

(LILCO), and briefly operated under the name MarketSpan following the merger. On November 8, 2000, KeySpan acquired Eastern Enterprises, Eastern's natural gas distribution subsidiaries including Boston Gas Company, Colonial Gas Company and Essex Gas Company; Eastern's unregulated businesses including ServicEdge Partners, the largest unregulated provider of residential HVAC equipment installation and services in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

; and EnergyNorth Natural Gas in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. It also was the operator of the

Long Island Power Authority Long Island Power Authority (LIPA, "lie-pah") is a municipal subdivision of the State of New York that owns the electric transmission and electric distribution system serving all of Long Island and a portion of New York City known as the Rocka ...

's electrical grid, which had previously been part of LILCO before LIPA took it over in 1998. KeySpan had its headquarters in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, USA and employed 9,700 people. In February 2006, National Grid USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of

National Grid plc National Grid plc is a British multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, England. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom, where it owns and operates electricity and natural gas transmission networks ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, announced that it had agreed to buy KeySpan for $7.3 billion (£4.1 billion) in cash, the deal being subject to regulatory approval and endorsement by the shareholders of the two companies. In 2007 National Grid plc announced the completion of the acquisition. KeySpan received a 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index released by the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...

starting in 2004, the third year of the report.

Brooklyn Union Gas

The Brooklyn Union Gas Company was originally established in 1825 as the ''Brooklyn Gas Light Company'', changing its name after a series of mergers in 1895."In 1850 a similar operation was launched in the neighboring town of Williamsburg, and by the 1890s there were at least 15 gas lighting companies operating in Brooklyn and Queens." Rapid growth in the early 1900s prompted the company to establish a new headquarters at 180 Remsen Street. Noted Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman was commissioned to design the new headquarters, which was built in 1914. In 1962, a new 13-story headquarters was built at 195 Montague Street. The headquarters was relocated to One MetroTech Center circa 1990. Brooklyn Union Gas Company Headquarters entrance

At some point it had 3,651 Employees and nearly $1 billion in sales.

References

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External links

KeySpan Changes Name to National Grid

National Grid completes $7.3 billion merger with KeySpan
Energy infrastructure on Long Island, New York Energy in New England Companies established in 1998 Companies based in New York City Electric power companies of the United States Natural gas companies of the United States Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange 2007 mergers and acquisitions

Brooklyn Union Gas

See also

References

External links