Our History
On Christmas Day, 1855, our company provided gas for the first appliance–outdoor “gas lights.” Thus, our name became Atlanta Gas Light.
In those early years, our business consisted of 50 gas lights, a couple of miles of pipe and a gas plant located downtown where the World Congress Center sits today. Atlanta Gas Light stands alone as the oldest corporation in Georgia because we’ve kept that original name for more than 160 years.
In 1903, a large company composed of several utilities, Georgia Railway and Electric, bought AGL. Meanwhile Georgia Power formed a company, Georgia Railway and Power, and the two companies merged to become AGL’s owner. In 1927, Georgia Power separated from the merger and took AGL with it. A couple of years later, the market began to change with electricity in higher demand than natural gas. Also, piped natural gas began to replace manufactured gas. Georgia Power sold AGL in 1929.
Our long and winding history eventually led to Southern Company purchasing AGL Resources in 2016 and renaming it Southern Company Gas, creating the nation’s largest natural gas-only distribution company.
Gas Gets Deregulated
In 1997, the state of Georgia, through the Georgia General Assembly, deregulated their natural gas market, giving residents the choice to buy gas from one of several marketers. This deregulation encouraged competition and gave consumers more choices.
A Long History of Many Uses
The first use of gas energy in the United States occurred in 1816, when gaslights illuminated the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. By 1900, natural gas had been discovered in 17 states. During the years following World War II, expansion of the extensive interstate pipeline network occurred, bringing natural gas service to customers all over the country.
