Energy utility Viridian, the Province’s largest private company, is ranked number 39 in Britain, according to the latest Sunday Times Deloitte Top Track 100 league table, which will be published tomorrow.

Now in its seventh year, the table ranks the UK’s hundred biggest private companies by latest sales.

Viridian, which employs 1,554 staff, reported sales of £1,022m in 2007, with profits of £228m.

Headquartered in Belfast, Viridian owns Energia, Huntstown Power, Northern Ireland Electricity and Powerteam Electrical Services.

It has played a leading role in promoting an all-island electricity market in Ireland.

Its subsidiary Energia has a 25 per cent market share in Ireland’s business electricity market, obtaining wholesale electricity from a number of sources, including Viridian’s Huntstown power station north of Dublin.

Viridian was taken private in December 2006 for £1.6bn, backed by Arcapita, the Bahrain-based private equity firm, and is led by chief executive Patrick Bourke.