Unitil to Acquire Maine Natural Gas for $86M, Expanding Presence in Greater Portland

Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) (unitil.com) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Maine Natural Gas Company ("Maine Natural") from Avangrid Enterprises, Inc., for $86.0 million on a debt-free basis, subject to adjustment for closing working capital and transaction expenses. Upon closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur by the end of 2025, Maine Natural will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Unitil. The transaction is subject to approval by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

Maine Natural Gas Company commenced operations in 1999 and serves approximately 6,300 residential and commercial natural gas customers in nine communities in the Greater Portland region of Maine, as well as the capital city of Augusta. Maine Natural's gas system includes approximately 230 miles of distribution mains, providing opportunities for continued customer growth. Maine Natural is estimated to have approximately $69.0 million of rate base as of December 31, 2024. Customer growth over the most recent five-year period averaged 4.4% annually.

Maine Natural serves communities that are geographically contiguous with Unitil's existing service areas in the Greater Portland region, an attractive and densely populated region of Maine. In combination with the Company's most recent acquisition of Bangor Natural Gas Company, Unitil will serve communities representing over 40% of Maine's total population. The transaction is expected to be earnings accretive over the long-term, supporting Unitil's long-term earnings per share growth of 5% to 7%.