National Gas acquires Leicestershire design engineering experts with support of Shakespeare Martineau

Transmission owner and system operator National Gas has announced the acquisition of design engineering experts Premtech Ltd for an undisclosed sum, with the support of law firm Shakespeare Martineau.

The deal will see National Gas boost its design engineering capability, bringing the expertise in-house.

Taking on all 50 of Premtech’s team members, the Ashby-de-la-Zouch-based consultancy will remain independent from the regulated business of National Gas Transmission, operating its own offices, IT and people systems, hiring processes, and benefits.

Jon Butterworth, CEO of National Gas, said: “Premtech is a highly respected and successful company that’s renowned for its expertise in engineering consultancy and design in the energy sector and we’re extremely proud to become its new owners.

“We’ve forged a strong relationship with Premtech over many years and, as a result, it has an in-depth knowledge of our business and how we work. This transaction brings important design capability in-house, enabling us to better deliver on our capital expenditure plan as well as support our future work in the vanguard of developing hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and a wide range of digital and innovation projects.”

Acting on behalf of National Gas, the Shakespeare Martineau team included Michael Stace, Marie-Therese Harper and Joshua Dyal (Corporate), Sarah Evans (Property), Emma Oliver (Employment) and Huw Witty (Tax).

Michael Stace, head of corporate at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “We were delighted to support the National Gas team with this acquisition. We’re embedded in the energy sector and it’s great to see exciting unions, like this, in the market.”