United Energy is a Victorian energy network which distributes electricity across east and south-east Melbourne and the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...

to more than 640,000 customers, 90% of which are residential. Its network includes 209,000 poles and over 13,000 kilometres of wires. Electricity is received via 78 sub-transmission lines at 46 zone stations, where it is transformed from sub-transmission voltages to distribution voltages. The company was owned by the DUET Group, which also owned

Multinet Gas Multinet Gas Networks (MGN) is an Australian energy company and one of three Victorian natural gas distribution networks. MGN is one of three main companies that make up Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG), the other two being Australian ...

, which distributes gas in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

's inner eastern suburbs to middle-eastern Victoria. DUET also owned the

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

n Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline, the sole gas conduit for

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and coastal Western Australia.Melbourne's electricity and gas facing greater Chinese control
/ref> In April 2017, Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI) proposed to acquire the DUET Group for A$7.4 billion, which was approved by

FIRB The Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), "examines proposals by foreign persons to invest in Australia and makes recommendations to the Treasurer on those subject to the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 and Australia's for ...

later that month.FIRB approves Cheung Kong's DUET acquisition
/ref> CKI also owns

CitiPower Spark Infrastructure Group is an Australian investment fund which owns and manages a portfolio of electricity infrastructure assets. Spark's principal investments are 49% stakes in both SA Power Networks and Victoria Power Networks; as well a ...

in Melbourne,

Powercor Powercor Australia is an Australian electricity distribution company that operates throughout western Victoria, and the western suburbs of Melbourne. The company owns and maintains power lines, substations and street lights and also manages the ...

in western Melbourne and western Victoria, and

Envestra Australian Gas Networks Limited, formerly Envestra Limited, is an Australian energy company that operates natural gas transmission pipelines and distribution networks in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, and the Northern Ter ...

, which distributes gas through much of Victoria, as well as

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. After the acquisition, CKI owns three out of five electricity distributors and two out of three gas distributors in Victoria.

References

External links

* Electric power companies of Australia {{energy-company-stub