NW Natural
A Pacific Northwest regulated natural-gas utility that also owns water-utility businesses.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
NW Natural is a publicly traded American utility headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Its principal business is the distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in western Oregon and southwest Washington. The company also owns and operates water utilities, making it a broader regulated-utility business than its name alone suggests. Its customer base is concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, where it serves communities along the Oregon Coast, through the Willamette Valley and Columbia River Gorge, and across the Portland metropolitan area. The business traces its origins to Portland Gas Light Company, established in 1859 under a charter granted by the Oregon territorial government shortly before Oregon became a state. Founders H.C. Leonard and Henry D. Green had previously conducted commercial and shipping activities in the region. The company began delivering manufactured coal gas in 1859, and its first gas lights were placed in downtown Portland on June 1, 1860, initially serving 49 customers. During its early history the enterprise also held water-related franchises and expanded through acquisitions and consolidation with other local gas companies. The original gas business manufactured gas locally from coal and oil. That operating model changed after natural gas became available in the region during the 1950s. The company closed its last manufactured-gas plant in 1957 and adopted the name Northwest Natural Gas Company in 1958. Through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s it expanded beyond Portland and the Willamette Valley; by the end of 1989 it served more than 300,000 residential customers. The corporate name was shortened to NW Natural in 1997. NW Natural's infrastructure includes a natural-gas distribution network and underground storage facilities. Its storage operations use depleted gas wells near Mist, Oregon, in the Northern Oregon Coast Range, and the company has also operated a storage facility near Fresno, California. Storage allows gas to be purchased and held for periods of high winter demand, supporting system reliability and seasonal supply management. The company has remained active in utility-sector expansion and corporate transactions. It moved its stock listing from NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange in 2000 under the ticker NWN. In 2001 it attempted to acquire Portland General Electric from Enron for approximately $3 billion, but the proposed transaction was abandoned in 2002 amid issues associated with Enron's bankruptcy and the proposed merger. Beginning in 2018, NW Natural began acquiring water utilities, diversifying its regulated-utility portfolio. NW Natural has also faced environmental scrutiny. It undertook remediation of tar contamination associated with a former manufactured-gas plant along the Willamette River and was later fined in connection with conduct related to the cleanup. More recently, environmental advocates and public officials have criticized the company’s renewable-natural-gas strategy and its advocacy for continued gas use. The company set a goal of delivering 5 percent renewable natural gas by 2024, but reference material indicates that it had obtained less than 1 percent, much of it through environmental credits associated with purchases outside its core service area. In 2024, Multnomah County officials named NW Natural as a defendant in a large climate-liability lawsuit against fossil-fuel companies. The allegations concern climate-risk knowledge, public communications, and the effects of fossil-fuel combustion; they are allegations in litigation, not established findings of liability. NW Natural is therefore best understood as a regional, regulated energy-and-water utility. Its customer proposition centers on dependable gas distribution, seasonal storage, infrastructure management, and utility services rather than consumer packaged goods or a conventional lifestyle brand. Its future positioning is shaped by the tension between the continuing role of gas in the Pacific Northwest energy system and pressure to reduce emissions through electrification, renewable gas, efficiency, and other lower-carbon options.
History
NW Natural originated as Portland Gas Light Company, which received a perpetual charter from Oregon's territorial government in January 1859. The charter was issued shortly before Oregon statehood and therefore preceded the state constitution's restrictions on perpetual franchises. The enterprise was founded by H.C. Leonard and Henry D. Green, business partners with earlier commercial connections in Astoria, Portland, San Francisco, the Hawaiian Islands, and Asia. Gas began flowing in Portland in 1859 from a plant that converted Vancouver Island coal into manufactured gas. On June 1, 1860, the company lit part of downtown Portland, initially serving 49 customers. It incorporated as Portland Gas Light Company in 1862 and also acquired the franchise of Portland Water Company. In 1882 it established East Portland Gas Light Company and built another plant. After Green's death in 1885, Leonard sold the Portland Water Company franchise to the city in 1886. The gas business was sold in 1892 to bankers C.F. Adams and Abbot Low Mills for a reported $850,000. They reorganized it as Portland Gas Company, acquired several additional franchises, and consolidated the east and west Portland systems by constructing a gas main beneath the Willamette River. In 1913 the company was sold to American Power & Light Company for a reported $3.5 million and renamed Portland Gas and Coke Company. American Power was associated with Electric Bond and Share Company, a utility holding structure linked to General Electric. The company supported or acquired other local gas operations, including St. Johns Gas Company and Clackamas County Gas Company. For much of its early life the business manufactured gas from coal or oil in local plants. The arrival of natural gas in the Pacific Northwest transformed the operating model. The company ended manufactured-gas production and closed its last gas plant in 1957, then adopted the name Northwest Natural Gas Company in 1958. Expansion during the 1960s through the 1980s extended service beyond Portland and the Willamette Valley. By the end of 1989, the company served more than 300,000 residential customers. The corporate name became NW Natural in 1997. In 2000 the company transferred its stock listing from NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange, retaining the symbol NWN. In 2001 it pursued the purchase of Portland General Electric from Enron for nearly $3 billion. The proposed combination was abandoned in May 2002 as the transaction encountered complications connected with Enron's bankruptcy and the proposed merger. NW Natural continued to develop its gas infrastructure and supply capabilities. Its system includes underground storage near Mist, Oregon, where depleted gas wells are used to hold gas for periods of higher demand, particularly winter peaks. In 2003 the company and Coos County broke ground on a transmission line and local distribution system serving Coos Bay. In 2007 it announced plans for another natural-gas pipeline and announced a rate reduction, described in the reference material as its first rate cut in six years. The company also pursued civic and charitable initiatives. In 2003 it donated $125,000 to establish the NW Natural/Dick Reiten Leadership Fund at the Oregon Community Foundation in honor of retiring chief executive Richard G. Reiten. In 2005 Business Ethics magazine listed the company among its 100 Best Corporate Citizens for the fifth consecutive year, ranking it 47th. Beginning in 2018, NW Natural entered the water-utility sector through acquisitions. This strategy diversified the company while retaining a focus on regulated infrastructure and essential services. At the same time, its historic manufactured-gas sites generated environmental liabilities. The company removed tar contamination from a former plant site that had polluted the Willamette River and was later fined for actions associated with the cleanup. In the 2020s, debate over the future of gas became central to the company's public profile. NW Natural promoted renewable natural gas and set a goal of delivering 5 percent RNG by 2024. Critics argued that the company relied heavily on credits and purchases from outside the region and used its Less We Can campaign to present gas as a climate solution while opposing electrification measures. In October 2024, Multnomah County officials included NW Natural in a $50 billion climate lawsuit against fossil-fuel companies. The complaint alleges deception and responsibility for climate-related harms, including deaths during the county's 2021 heat wave. The case and its allegations do not establish liability by themselves.
- 2024
Climate-liability litigation expands to include NW Natural
[1]Multnomah County officials named NW Natural among defendants in a climate-related lawsuit against fossil-fuel companies.
- 2018
Water-utility expansion begins
[1]NW Natural began acquiring water utilities, adding a new regulated-utility business to its gas operations.
- 2003
Coos Bay gas infrastructure project begins
[1]NW Natural and Coos County broke ground on a natural-gas transmission line and local distribution system serving Coos Bay.
- 2002
Portland General Electric acquisition proposal is abandoned
[1]A proposed acquisition of Portland General Electric from Enron was abandoned after complications surrounding Enron's bankruptcy and the merger process.
- 2000
Stock listing moves to the New York Stock Exchange
[1]NW Natural moved its listing from NASDAQ to the NYSE under ticker NWN.
- 1997
NW Natural name adopted
[1]The corporate name was shortened from Northwest Natural Gas Company to NW Natural.
- 1958
Name changes to Northwest Natural Gas Company
[1]The company adopted the name Northwest Natural Gas Company during its transition to natural-gas distribution.
- 1957
Manufactured-gas production ends
[1]The company closed its last coal- or oil-based gas plant as natural gas became available in the region.
- 1913
Company becomes Portland Gas and Coke Company
[1]American Power & Light acquired the business and changed its name to Portland Gas and Coke Company.
- 1892
Business is reorganized as Portland Gas Company
[1]Following its sale to C.F. Adams and Abbot Low Mills, the gas business was reorganized and expanded through franchise acquisitions.
Products and positioning
Regional regulated utility focused on reliable natural-gas distribution, seasonal storage, customer service, and selected water-utility operations.
Energy utility service
Residential natural-gas service
Regulated natural-gas distribution for households across western Oregon and southwest Washington. The service supports space heating, water heating, cooking, and other household uses through NW Natural's local distribution network. It is the company's core customer-facing offering and is delivered within a utility framework that includes system maintenance, safety programs, supply procurement, seasonal demand management, and regulated rates.
Energy utility service
Commercial and industrial natural-gas service
Gas distribution for commercial and industrial customers in the company's Pacific Northwest service territory. These customers depend on continuous and adequately pressured supply for building operations, process heat, kitchens, manufacturing, and other uses. NW Natural's role includes operating local infrastructure, arranging supplies, managing peak requirements, and maintaining reliability for customers with different demand profiles.
Energy infrastructure
Underground natural-gas storage
NW Natural operates underground storage using depleted gas wells near Mist in Oregon's Northern Coast Range and has also operated a facility near Fresno, California. Storage enables the company to buy gas when market conditions are more favorable and retain it for periods of high consumption, especially winter peaks. The facilities support supply flexibility and system reliability rather than functioning as a retail product in their own right.
Water utility · 2018
Water utility services
Water-utility operations acquired and developed by NW Natural beginning in 2018. This business extends the company's regulated-infrastructure model into water service, with responsibilities that can include water supply, treatment, distribution networks, customer billing, maintenance, and compliance. The water platform provides diversification from the company's historical dependence on natural-gas distribution.
Lower-carbon energy program
Renewable-natural-gas programs
Programs and procurement activity associated with renewable natural gas and related environmental attributes. NW Natural set a goal of delivering 5 percent RNG by 2024. Critics have disputed the scale and climate significance of the company's progress, noting that reference material describes less than 1 percent obtained and substantial reliance on credits or purchases connected to other states. The precise current composition of the offering is not established by the supplied sources.
Controversies
2024
Renewable-natural-gas claims and greenwashing criticism
Critics challenged the company's claim framework around renewable natural gas, citing a 5 percent 2024 goal against reported acquisition of less than 1 percent and criticizing the use of out-of-state credits and pro-gas messaging.
2024
Multnomah County climate lawsuit
NW Natural was named as a defendant in a $50 billion lawsuit brought by Multnomah County officials against fossil-fuel companies. The complaint alleges that defendants concealed or misrepresented climate risks and contributed to heat-related deaths. The allegations remain unresolved.
2023
Multnomah County sues ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, NW Natural and others over climate damages
Multnomah County filed a lawsuit seeking nearly $52 billion from more than a dozen major oil and gas companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, and NW Natural, as well as industry lobbyists and McKinsey & Company. The suit seeks to hold these parties responsible for climate change impacts affecting the county, including the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome.
2005
Former manufactured-gas plant cleanup and Willamette River contamination
NW Natural removed tar contamination associated with a former gas plant site that had polluted the Willamette River. The company was later fined for actions connected with the cleanup.
Marketing campaigns
- Less We Can
Oregon · Pacific Northwest
A public communications and lobbying campaign presenting renewable natural gas and continued gas use as part of emissions reduction. Critics characterized the campaign as greenwashing and argued that it opposed or resisted electrification policies that could reduce gas consumption.
Outcome. The campaign became part of public criticism concerning NW Natural's climate messaging and renewable-natural-gas strategy. The supplied material does not establish a formal regulatory outcome.
Brand decisions
2018
Diversify into water utilitiesM&ABackground
NW Natural sought to broaden its regulated-utility portfolio beyond natural-gas distribution.
Action taken
The company began acquiring water utilities.
Aftermath
Water became a continuing business area alongside the company's gas operations.
2007
Develop additional gas pipeline capacityStrategyBackground
The company sought to strengthen its regional gas-delivery infrastructure and supply capability.
Action taken
NW Natural announced plans to construct a new natural-gas pipeline and also announced a rate cut.
Aftermath
The supplied sources do not provide the pipeline's final construction or operating outcome.
2001
Propose acquisition of Portland General ElectricM&ABackground
NW Natural sought to expand from gas distribution into a larger Portland-based utility combination and pursued Portland General Electric from Enron.
Action taken
The company proposed a transaction valued at nearly $3 billion.
Aftermath
The proposal was abandoned in May 2002 amid issues involving Enron's bankruptcy and the proposed merger.
Proposed transaction value. (2001 proposal; abandoned May 2002)
1997
Adopt the NW Natural nameStrategyBackground
The company had operated under Northwest Natural Gas Company while expanding its regional natural-gas utility business.
Action taken
It shortened its corporate name to NW Natural, creating the modern brand identity.
Aftermath
The shorter name remains the company's primary public brand.
Recent events
Multnomah County sues ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, NW Natural and others over climate damages[2]
Reported:
Multnomah County filed a nearly $52 billion lawsuit against more than a dozen major oil and gas companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, and NW Natural, as well as industry lobbyists and McKinsey & Company, seeking to hold them responsible for climate change impacts including the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome.
Sources2 sources
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