Appointment of Ernst & Young
18 August 2009 - 4:00PM
RNS Non-Regulatory
TIDMPTG
Portland Gas plc
18 August 2009
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For Immediate Release18 August 2009
PRESS RELEASE
Appointment of Ernst & Young
The Directors of Portland Gas plc (AIM: PTG) ("the Company") are pleased to
announce that Ernst & Young LLP has been appointed as financial advisors to the
Company in respect of the proposed divestment of shares in Portland Gas Holdings
Limited ("PGL").
PGL is the developer of the Company's proposed large and flexible gas storage
facility at Portland in the UK ("Portland Project"). The details of the sale
process were announced to the market on 30th July 2009. Potential investors are
being asked to express interest by the end of September 2009 to join a
Co-operation Group which will facilitate the sharing of due-diligence activities
and costs. In Q1 2010 those who have participated in the Group will then have an
opportunity to make a firm commitment to invest.
Commenting on the news, Craig Gouws, CFO of Portland Gas plc, said:
"We are pleased that Ernst & Young has joined the team to advise the Company
during the ongoing process. The appointment of Ernst & Young is an important
milestone in the sale process and we believe Ernst & Young has the depth of
experience and skill to provide the necessary support and advice during the
divestiture process".
For further information please contact:
Portland Gas plc
Andrew Hindle, Chief Executive Officer
020 8332 1200
Craig Gouws, Chief Financial Officer
PR - Watershed
Sara Hudston
01308 420785
Investor Relations - Buchanan Communications
Ben Willey
020 7466 5000
Nominated Advisor and Broker - Seymour Pierce
Jonathan Wright
020 7107 8000
Sarah Jacobs
Richard Redmayne
Notes to Editors:
Background on Portland Gas plc
Portland Gas' business is focused on the development of two gas storage projects
in the United Kingdom at Portland, Dorset and at Islandmagee, County Antrim,
Northern Ireland. The two projects could between them provide over 10% of the
total UK and Ireland peak daily demand in the latter part of the next decade.
The Company is also developing new projects in mainland Europe initially
focussing on Germany and Spain. The Company is one of only a few in Europe
focused specifically on gas storage development, a sector with significant
growth potential in Europe over the coming decades. In order that the "Portland
Gas" name can remain with the Portland Project where it is very well established
in Dorset, the Directors intend to seek approval at the next Annual General
Meeting of the Company, scheduled for December 2009, to change the name of
Portland Gas plc to "Infrastrata plc". The project company, Portland Gas
Holdings Limited, would then be renamed to "Portland Gas Limited".
Portland Project
At a projected 1,000 million cubic metres ("mcm") or 35 billion cubic feet
("bcf") of working gas, the facility would be the largest onshore gas storage
facility in the UK. Planning permission was granted by Dorset County Council in
May 2008 and Pipeline Construction Authorisation was granted by the BERR (now
known as the Department of Energy and Climate Change) in July 2008. The gas
storage facility is designed to inject or withdraw gas at 20mcm per day. On peak
demand days the design allows for the withdrawal rate to be boosted to 30mcm per
day. The current estimate of total development cost for the project is GBP456m.
The project will use brine compensation technology and will not require cushion
gas. The project company is Portland Gas Holdings Limited ("PGL"). PGL's legal
advisor is Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP and project finance advisor is BNP
Paribas.
Background on Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory
services. Worldwide they employ 135,000 people united by their shared values and
an unwavering commitment to quality. Ernst & Young make a difference by helping
their people, their clients and their wider communities achieve their potential.
Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young
Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global
Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to
clients. For more information, visit www.ey.com.
Further information is available on the Company's website www.portland-gas.com.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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