Our history

Ausgrid’s history traces over a century of powering communities, from early electricity networks to today’s role supporting a modern, reliable and evolving energy system.

 

A grey Ausgrid branded building.
The entrance way to the main Ausgrid office with field workers walking inside.

Day-to-day we operate, maintain, repair, and build our electricity network, focusing on safety and reliability. Over the next decade, Ausgrid will move beyond just distributing electricity to transmitting it, storing it, and enabling vehicles to be charged with it. More than a network, we are a company driven by our purpose to make electricity accessible for all.

1

1904 - Sydney's first electricity supply

Sydney Municipal Council initiated the first electricity supply for streetlights in Sydney's CBD.

2

1935 - Sydney County Council

Sydney County Council was established to manage the electricity network in Sydney.

3

1991 - Sydney Electricity

Sydney Electricity was formed by merging the Sydney County Council with other county councils in NSW.

4

1996 - Energy Australia

Sydney Electricity was rebranded as EnergyAustralia.

5

2011 - Ausgrid

TRUenergy acquired the EnergyAustralia retail business. The NSW Government retained the electricity network distribution business and rebranded it as Ausgrid.

6

2016 - Privatisation

Through the State of NSW’s privatisation of electricity network assets, a consortium acquired a 50.4% interest in Ausgrid’s network under a long-term lease. Since 2022, the consortium has comprised IFM Investors (25.2%), APG Asset Management (16.8%) and AustralianSuper (8.4%), with the State of NSW retaining 49.6% via the Electricity Retained Interest Corporation.

7

Looking toward the future

As we look to the future, Ausgrid will move beyond just distributing electricity to transmitting it, storing it and enabling vehicles to be charged with it. This strategic shift is about leading the way, embracing developments in renewable energy and making electricity accessible for all.

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