Women in engineering: Leading the way in firmus energy
In a traditionally male-dominated industry, firmus energy is extremely proud of our engineering achievements and progress towards gender equality, with women now making up over 25 per cent of the engineering team.
Having invested over £200 million since 2005, firmus energy has constructed and maintains over 2,200km of new underground polyethylene (PE) gas pipe work in the Ten Towns natural gas network area, connecting over 69,000 customers across 35 cities, towns and villages, stretching from Warrenpoint to Derry/Londonderry.
Supplying gas to over 111,000 customers in all the natural gas networks in Northern Ireland, firmus energy employs more than 120 staff and sustains over 300 indirect roles through contractors in construction, installation, and other support services.
Sustainability is a strategic priority within firmus energy. To embed that in the culture of the organisation, firmus energy is the only UK energy provider to put all its staff through City & Guilds Energy Efficiency training in the belief that energy efficiency starts at home and this training also puts staff in a better position to give advice and guidance to its customers to reduce their bills, save energy and help alleviate fuel poverty.
Ensuring high levels of network performance, the gas network in Northern Ireland is uniquely placed to accept renewable gases without having to make significant changes to upgrade our network and this will assist in the transition away from fossil fuels. The sizeable agri-foods industry in Northern Ireland presents a further opportunity to utilise agriculture, retail, and hospitality waste through anaerobic digestion to produce biomethane. Generating renewable gas locally will have a range of benefits for the environment and our customers and will be key in meeting government net zero targets.
As firmus energy prioritises the transition to net zero carbon and play our part in creating green jobs for the future it is important to consider the people behind the energy sector in Northern Ireland.
Firmus energy was awarded the prestigious Diversity Mark NI Bronze Award in 2022 in recognition of its commitment to gender diversity in the workplace. Above, we focus on three key female role models within the business:
The Northern Ireland gas industry has progressed significantly over the years. It is definitely seen as less of a man’s world than it used to be with many women holding key technical roles across the industry. Firmus energy is passionate about taking a pro-active approach in encouraging more women into the energy sector by promoting the various pathways and potential opportunities that the industry holds and working closely with local universities to develop graduate scholarships.
Firmus energy also partners with local schools and colleges to encourage gender equality within STEM, through careers talks that inspire the next generation of energy network engineers and helps nurture the future leaders who will deliver our net zero strategy.
T: 0330 024 9000
E: furtherinfo@firmusenergy.co.uk
W: www.firmusenergy.co.uk
