Ruhrgas AG (original name: Aktiengesellschaft für Kohleverwertung; later: E.ON Ruhrgas) was the largest natural gas transportation and trading company based in Essen, Germany. The company was founded in 1926 and it finally ceased to exist on 2 May 2013 when it was merged into E.ON Global Commodities SE (now: Uniper Global Commodities SE).
History
1929-1940
Ruhrgas AG was founded in 1926 as a natural gas transportation company by Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG and Zeche Mathias Stinnes as Aktiengesellschaft für Kohleverwertung. The newly founded company took over the distribution of coal gas produced in the coking plants Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG and Zeche Mathias Stinne in the economical important coalmining region Ruhrdistrict. In 1928, Aktiengesellschaft für Kohleverwertung acquired the 300 km pipeline network from RWE AG. Consequently, the company was renamed Ruhrgas AG. By the end of the decade, gas supply contracts were signed with the cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hanover, and Saarbrücken. By 1930, total sales of coal gas by Ruhrgas amounted to 0.3 e9m3, and its pipeline network covered 857 km. By 1936, its pipeline network accounted 1128 km and the company delivered 2 e9m3 of coal gas from 32 coking plants. Among other industries, it delivered gas to Adam Opel works.[1]