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9th October 2023
9th October 2023

Delivering the electricity network for Ireland’s clean electric future

Following the publication of its Networks for Net Zero strategy in January 2023, Managing Director of ESB Networks, Nicholas Tarrant, talks to David Whelan about the […]
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© Energy Ireland 2024

    Aoife MacEvilly
    Commissioner, Commission for Regulation of Utilities

    Aoife MacEvilly has been a member of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) since October 2014 and was appointed Chairperson in February 2020. Her lead responsibilities include empowering and protecting customers, supporting active customers and communities and the future role of gas in a secure, decarbonised energy system. Aoife previously worked in the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and in the private sector. She holds a BA in European Business and German from Ulster University, a Professional Diploma in Regulatory Governance from UCD and an MA in Leadership from UCD Smurfit.

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    Dave Kirwan
    Managing Director, Bord Gáis Energy

    Dave Kirwan is Managing Director of Bord Gáis Energy. He has recently returned to the role of MD after having worked with Centrica in the UK as MD of the UK Customer Operations and latterly MD of the UK Home business. Dave was responsible for leading the Bord Gáis Energy business through the successful sale to Centrica in 2014 having worked with BGE for 15 years prior to that, where he was responsible for the launch of its Northern Ireland business, Firmus Energy, the development of the Whitegate power station and the acquisition and subsequent merger of the SWS wind business. Dave holds a BE electronics from UCD and is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland, he also holds an MBA and a doctorate in business economics (DBA) from UCC. Dave also serves on the Centrica Group Executive Committee.

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    Eamon Ryan TD
    Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications

    Eamon Ryan TD is the Minister for Climate Action, Communication Networks and Transport. He was appointed to this role in June 2020. Eamon Ryan was elected to represent Dublin Bay South in the 2020 general election. He was born in Dublin and raised in Dundrum and Dartry. He studied commerce in UCD before taking a job managing a marketing course in the university's School of Business. He went on to found a cycling tourism company, Irish Cycling Safaris, in the late 1980s and in 1996 won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. He was the founding chairperson of the Dublin Cycling Campaign and began his political career as a Dublin City Councillor for the Rathgar-Rathmines ward. He then went on to serve both as a TD for Dublin South and as a Government Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. In recent years he has worked for a European climate organisation and chaired the digital policy group in the Institute of International and European Affairs. He is currently leader of the Green Party/Comhaontas Glas.

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    Tanya Harrington
    Commissioner, CRU

    Dr Tanya Harrington is a Commissioner at the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Tanya is a public policy and regulatory affairs professional with over 20 years’ experience in helping organisations drive the effectiveness and performance of their policy-focused teams. Tanya currently serves as An Post’s Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer, leading the development of the Company’s comprehensive and integrated regulatory strategy and leading An Post’s engagement with government and regulatory authorities and stakeholders at international, European and domestic levels. Before joining An Post, Tanya spent six years in consultancy, advising a range of Ireland’s largest companies on matters of public policy, government affairs and economic regulation across a range of economically regulated sectors.

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    Brian Ó Gallachóir
    Associate Vice-President of Sustainability, UCC

    Brian Ó Gallachóir is Associate Vice-President of Sustainability at University College Cork, delivering on UCC’s ambitious plans to consolidate its role as a leading university of sustainability. Brian established energy systems modelling capacity in Ireland over the past 20 years and is a recognised international leader in this field, including as elected Chair of International Energy Agency Technology Collaboration Programme. His research has underpinned Irish and EU energy and climate mitigation policies and energy company strategies.

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    Dr Anouk Honoré
    Senior Research Fellow, The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

    Dr Anouk Honoré is a Senior Research Fellow & Deputy Director of the Gas Research Programme at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. At the OIES, her research focuses on gas market fundamentals in Europe with a particular emphasis on gas demand, energy and decarbonization policies in the European Union and in individual countries, power generation and the decarbonization of the heating sector.

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    Paul Mϋnnich
    Director, Agora Energiewende

    Paul Münnich works as a Project Manager at Agora Industry. His main topics are the decarbonisation of industrial heat and the transformation of the chemical industry. Before joining Agora Energiewende, he worked on the transformation of the chemical industry as a research assistant at the Chair of Technical Thermodynamics at RWTH Aachen University. Paul Münnich holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and studied in Aachen (Germany), Haifa (Israel) and Lausanne (Switzerland).

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    Andy Kelly
    Director, AFRY

    Andy Kelly leads AFRY’s commercial work in the Irish Electricity Market and has more than 15 years’ commercial experience in wholesale power and commodity markets. He has a detailed knowledge of the electricity markets in Ireland and the UK, including the impending I-SEM market and support schemes for renewable generators. Andy has a deep understanding of the commercial aspects of the electricity generation and trading markets, and extensive experience of leading strategic and commercial activities in the wholesale and renewable markets, involving a range of stakeholders.

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    Cathal Marley
    Chief Executive Officer, Gas Networks Ireland

    Cathal Marley is the Chief Executive Officer of Gas Networks Ireland, the semi-state organisation responsible for operating Ireland’s €2.7 billion, 14,664km national gas network, serving over 720,000 customers nationwide, and focused on delivering on its critical role in energy security while transitioning to transporting renewable gases through its network. He has over 20 years’ experience in the utilities and infrastructure sector, having previously worked in senior roles across the electricity and water industries. Cathal holds an MBA from the Michael Smurfit Business School, UCD, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a Board member of the IMI, a member of the DCU Governing Authority and a Board member of Swim Ireland. His early career was spent with EY in Dublin and Eastern Europe.

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    Colm O’Neill
    Partner, KPMG

    Colm O’Neill is a Partner at KPMG where he is Head of Energy, Utilities & Telecoms. He advises clients across the sectors on strategy, M&A, digital transformation, and culture development. With over 30 years’ experience, Colm has spent most of his career in industry, leading capital intensive, regulated businesses through major transformations. Most recently these included roles as chief executive of BT Ireland and Managing Director of BT’s Corporate and Public Sector business in the UK. Colm is a former Board member of Business in the Community NI and former Chair of IBEC’s TII. He is a current Board member of Young Scientist.

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    Niamh McGovern
    Partner, Arthur Cox

    Niamh McGovern is an energy and construction partner at Arthur Cox. Niamh has a broad skillset in this area and routinely advises developers, sponsors, banks and public bodies on energy projects in Ireland.

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    Paddy Hayes
    Chief Executive, ESB

    Paddy Hayes is Chief Executive of ESB, a leading Irish energy company operating throughout Ireland and the UK. ESB aims to create a brighter, low-carbon, future for the customers and communities it serves, investing in technologies, infrastructure and services to support the clean energy transition. Before his appointment as Chief Executive in 2021, Paddy headed up two of ESB’s main operating divisions as Executive Director of ESB’s Generation and Trading business and then as Managing Director of ESB Networks. He was formerly a board member of the association of European Distribution System Operators (E.DSO) and co-chair of the European Distribution-Transmission Cooperation Platform. Paddy is a Chartered Engineer with degrees in engineering from UCD and an MBA from the University of Warwick. Before moving to the energy sector in 1999, to lead the Synergen joint venture between ESB and Statoil, he worked with British Steel in the UK.

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    Joanne Moran
    Generation Director, Energy & Power, Jacobs

    Joanne Moran heads Jacobs Energy & Power Generation team in Europe, delivering projects and solutions for onshore and offshore wind, hydrogen, solar, battery storage and geothermal. She has over 20 years’ experience in the infrastructure sector, with a large proportion of this focussed on developing renewable energy projects. She previously led the Jacobs Infrastructure Growth & Sales team in Ireland.

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    John Reilly
    Head of Renewable Energy, Bord na Móna

    John Reilly is Head of Renewable Energy at Bord na Móna. He is a member of Bord na Móna’s Senior Leadership team with specific responsibility for the operation and continued development of Bord na Móna’s expanding portfolio in the Irish electricity market. His team is currently leading a €1.6 billion investment programme which will see the company add at least 1GW of new renewable assets to its fleet by 2030. John has over 20 years’ experience in the energy sector and was previously part of the senior management team at Edenderry Power, prior to its acquisition by Bord na Móna. He has worked for a number of major international utility players in the sector, such as the German utility E.ON and Fortum, a Finnish utility company. John, who is currently on the Board of the Electricity Association of Ireland, also sits on a number of policy committees across the energy sector and holds a PhD in Chemistry from UCD.

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    Richard Murphy
    Partner, Pinsent Masons

    Richard Murphy is a Partner and Head of Energy (Ireland) at Pinsent Masons LLP. His energy expertise and experience includes advising clients on a range of regulatory, advisory and transactional matters. Richard is rated as a leading individual for energy work in both Chambers UK and the Legal 500. Richard sits on the Northern Ireland Renewables Industry Group Committee (NIRIG) and is a regular speaker at energy industry events and conferences.

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    Andrew Hickey
    Commercial Manager, Hitachi

    Andrew Hickey is Commercial Manager at Hitachi Energy Ireland providing sustainable energy solutions that facilitate reliable and efficient system integration of the future digital electric grid. Andrew has 20 years of industry experience, including five years of delivering electrical systems and grid interconnection across multiple sectors. Currently focused on the energy transition to support the development of innovative grid and power quality solutions to help form the future networks.

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    Caroline Kuzemko
    Reader in International Political Economy, University of Warwick

    Caroline Kuzemko is Reader in International Political Economy at the University of Warwick. Her work explores the various roles of politics, and policy, in enabling, constraining, and shaping sustainable transformations at international, national, and local scales. Her publications include books on The Global Energy Challenge: Environment, Development and Security, and The Energy Security-Climate Nexus: Institutional Change in the UK and Beyond. She previously worked at UBS in Latin American equities.

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    Úna Nic Giolla Choille

    Úna Nic Giolla Choille is a former Principal Officer in the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications, heading the Electricity Regulation Division. She previously worked in the Department of Finance, in the Offices of the Houses of the Oireachtas and of the Revenue Commissioners and also with the Policy Institute in Trinity College. Having a primary degree in economics and geography, she also holds a master’s degree in Public Sector Analysis, both from TCD.

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    Philip Hannon
    Policy Director, Liquid Gas Ireland

    Philip Hannon is Policy Director at Liquid Gas Ireland (LGI), the representative body for the LPG and BioLPG sector in Ireland. He leads the Association’s policy advocacy and communication efforts at national and local level, which includes reinforcing the role that lower carbon and renewable gaseous fuels play in Ireland’s decarbonisation journey, particularly for rural consumers and businesses.

    He has over 25 years’ experience in corporate communications and public affairs. He was a Ministerial Special Advisor in five separate Government Departments, across two administrations. For almost a decade, he was Communications and Public Affairs Manager at the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, the representative body for the international research based pharmaceutical industry in Ireland.

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    Paul Deane
    Research Fellow, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork

    Dr Paul Deane is a research fellow at UCC’s Environmental Research Institute and a fellow at the Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines. He is a scientific advisor to a number of international research projects on clean energy futures. His research focuses on scientific methods to understand future energy systems.

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    Barry Quinlan
    Assistant Secretary, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications

    Barry Quinlan is the Assistant Secretary leading on Built Environment; Retrofit and Heat. Barry joined the Department in December 2021, as part of the re-organisation of energy functions in the Department, from the Department from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, where he had led the Housing and Local Government Divisions. Prior to that Barry worked in the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Justice. Working with key delivery partners and stakeholders, and within EU and global frameworks, key priority areas include: the National Retrofit Programme; and Renewable Heat Policy.

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    Klair Neenan
    Managing Director, SSE Airtricity

    Klair Neenan is Managing Director of SSE Airtricity, supplier of green energy, natural gas and energy related services to over 700,000 homes and businesses, with responsibility for leading the retail operation of SSE plc on the island of Ireland. Klair is an economics graduate with over 20 years’ experience of leading teams across customer service, corporate services and IT. Over the last 10 years, she has held various roles within SSE including two years as the company’s Head of IT Ireland. Prior to this, Klair led a number of large transformational programmes and was responsible for leading significant change across the organisation. She is also the recipient of a Women in IT Excellence award.

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    Catherine Sheridan
    Head of Strategy, Green Rebel

    Catherine Sheridan is Head of Strategy with Green Rebel. Earlier in her career, Catherine worked with public utilities in engineering and commercial roles, and more recently in communications, stakeholder engagement and energy policy. Catherine was awarded a Bachelors degree from University of Galway in 1998, Masters of Science from UCC in 2001, and titles of Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Ireland in 2009 an 2018. Her focus is on systems thinking, energy system integration and the role for Irish Supply Chain in achieving Net Zero by 2050.

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    Kevin O’Sullivan
    Environment and Science Editor, Irish Times

    Kevin O’Sullivan is the Environment and Science Editor and lead journalist reporting on climate change with The Irish Times. He served as Editor of the paper from 2011 to 2017. He joined The Irish Times in 1997 as Environmental and Food Science Correspondent. In his current role, he has a particular interest in climate solutions (especially nature-based actions); sustainability (including the pursuit of the UN SDGs), renewable energy and restoring biodiversity.

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    Matthew Baldwin
    Deputy Director-General, DG Energy, European Commission

    Matthew Baldwin was appointed as Deputy Director-General in DG ENER, the energy department of the European Commission, on 1 June 2022. There he is responsible for the Energy Platform Task Force which aims to end the EU’s dependence on Russian gas as soon as possible.

    He has served in the European Commission for over 20 years. He was previously Deputy Director General in DG MOVE for 6 years, where he ran the Commission’s Horizon Europe Mission for 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030, and also served as the EU coordinator for road safety and sustainable urban mobility. He was previously Director for Aviation in DG MOVE, and Director for Market Access in DG Trade.

    He served in the Cabinet of President Barroso from 2007-9 as Advisor on energy, climate change, trade and development. He was Deputy Chef de Cabinet to Commissioner Lamy from 1999-2004, and Chef de Cabinet to Commissioner Hill from 2014-16.

    His principal professional interests are in energy, transport, trade negotiation, and climate change.

    He is of Italian and British nationality and has two grown up sons. He is passionate about cities and their potential to lead on climate change, and he is a keen but increasingly slow cyclist.

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    Brendan Kelly
    Head of Commercial, Bord na Móna

    Brendan is the Head of Commercial at Bord Na Móna Renewable Energy and is responsible for developing commercial strategies and full commercialisation of Bord Na Móna’s 2GW+ development pipeline. He is also leading the diversification strategy for the company specifically in the areas of Offshore Wind, Energy Parks, Renewable Gas, Power to X, and Flextech. Brendan has over 12 years’ experience in the Utility and Energy sector. Prior to joining Bord Na Móna, Brendan held several senior management positions with Smart Wires, an Energy Technology company, based out of the Bay Area in California. At Smart Wires, Brendan was responsible for development of the EMEA business and subsequently led the company’s business expansion into the Canadian market. Brendan also previously held senior engineering roles at EirGrid, the Irish TSO, most notably leading the design of Grid Connections for over 2GW of wind generators to the Irish system. Brendan has an Electrical Engineering background having received his Bachelors and Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from University College Dublin.

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    Michael Galvin

    Michael is a chartered chemical engineer with extensive management, operations, business development, project delivery and commercial experience. He has over 17 years’ experience in the Energy Industry working for several multi-national corporations. Michael began his career in the Oil & Gas industry, in the production of conventional and renewable transport fuels. Michael has joined the Simply Blue Team to manage our Green Hydrogen and Sustainable Fuels portfolio, where he will develop environmentally friendly fuel production facilities of the future. His team are currently busy working on technical and commercial feasibility studies for new project concepts. His projects will focus on Power-to-X, Green H2 and biofuels. Michael and his team will continue to develop and nurture relationships with our strategic partners and stakeholders.

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    Darren O’Rourke

    Darren O’Rourke TD was elected to the 33rd Dáil in February 2020. From 2014 to 2020, Darren served as a Councillor on Meath County Council for the Ashbourne Local Electoral Area. Darren previously worked as a Political Advisor to Sinn Féin MEP, Matt Carthy, as Policy Advisor in Leinster House and as a Laboratory Scientist in Drogheda and in Dublin. He holds a BSc in Biomedical Science, Masters degrees in Molecular Pathology and in Leadership & Management and is currently completing a PhD in Health Service Reform on a part-time basis.

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    William Walsh
    Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

    William Walsh is Chief Executive Officer in SEAI, having previously held the position of both Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer. William joined SEAI in 2013. Prior to joining SEAI he worked for IFI where he held a number of roles including Assistant Chief Executive Officer and Director. Before this he held senior management positions in the private sector. William is a Chartered Accountant, holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from Dublin City University and a Graduate Diploma in Strategy, Innovation and Change from UCD.

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    Muireann Lynch
    Senior research Officer Economic & Social research Institute

    Muireann Lynch is a Senior Research Officer in the Economic Analysis division of the Economic and Social Research Institute. Muireann holds a degree in Mathematics and Economics from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in UCD. She has published numerous research articles in diverse areas of energy economics and has co-authored submissions to various public consultations and Government Departments. Muireann is Research Area Coordinator for Energy in the ESRI, a funded investigator with the MaREI SFI Research Centre, affiliate with the Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-free Society (EPICS) Center and is Deputy Director of the SFI-funded NexSys Partnership. Muireann’s research interests include electricity market regulation, power system economics and renewable generation integration and her research methodologies include stochastic mathematical programming, optimisation and game theory. Her research is funded by the ESRI’s Energy Policy Research Centre, Science Foundation Ireland, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, the European Commission, the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute, the Gas Innovation Fund and Irish energy industry participants.

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    Simon Ludlam
    CEO, MaresConnect

    Simon Ludlam is an experienced energy professional, currently CEO at MaresConnect, a 750MW interconnector project linking GB and Ireland. He has originated and led several interconnector projects in northwest Europe, including the €500m Greenlink interconnector and the €600m ElecLink project. Simon is the founder of Etchea Energy, a developer of energy projects supporting the green transition. He previously worked in investment banking and private equity.

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    Ronan Lambe
    Partner, Pinsent Masons

    Ronan is a Partner in the Energy & Finance team at Pinsent Masons with over 15 years of experience advising clients on a variety of energy and cleantech projects. His experience spans a range of geographies and technologies, including onshore and offshore wind, thermal, solar, storage, anaerobic digestion, hydrogen and waste to energy. He regularly acts for sponsors, developers, funders and other stakeholders on project development, acquisitions, disposals and project financings. As co-head of the Energy Networks and Regulation team at Pinsent Masons, Ronan and his colleagues are advising clients at the cutting edge of where energy projects and transactions meet policy and regulatory change.

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    Kerrie Sheehan
    Head of Research and Technology, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

    Kerrie Sheehan is Head of Research and Technology in Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and has over 17 years’ experience in managing funded research. Kerrie oversees the SEAI offshore/ocean team, which supports offshore renewable energy national test sites, provides research funding, delivers evidence basis to inform on evolving policy, and undertakes national and international stakeholder coordination and representation.

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    Tara Reale
    Tara joined Goodbody in 2023 to lead their energy advisory practice. She has extensive renewable energy experience, having most recently worked for Lightsourcebp as Heasd of Business Development for the UK and Ireland. Prior to that, she worked for both Amey and Mott MacDonald, both investing and advising in a multitude of renewable energy assets.
    A Chartered Engineer, Tara holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and a BE from University College Cork in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Tara is also a Board Director of thr Irish Solar Energy Association.

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    Catherine Banet
    Catherine Banet is a Professor at the University of Oslo, Head of the Department for Energy and Resources Law at the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, Norway. She is a member of the Advisory Academic Group (AAG) to the International Bar Association (IBA), Section for Energy, Environment and Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL), and Chair of the Board of the Norwegian Energy Law Association.

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    Laura Brien
    Laura Brien has over 25 years experience in the area of regulation across a number of industries, in particular the energy sector. Prior to appointment as CEO of MARA, Laura was Chief Executive/Registrar of the Health Insurance Authority. She was previously a Director at the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) (2014-2020), where she held various roles covering responsibility for Energy Markets, Water, and Compliance. She was a member of the Bureau of the OECD Network of Economic Regulators. Prior to joining the CRU, she was senior economic advisor to ComReg, the Irish telecommunications regulator, from 2012 to 2014. Earlier in her career she worked advising utilities, governments and regulators in the energy sector in the US, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Areas of work included introduction of private sector investment, development of renewable energy projects, financing and regulation.

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    Gerry Shannon
    Gerry Shannon has spent twenty years securing Project Finance for solar, mostly in South Africa, then Middle East and here in Ireland since 2018 delivering Utility Scale Solar. Gerry is addressing the compelling issue of leveraging external assets to generate power, such as Commercial Rooftops and Car-Parks with behind-the-meter applications. Shannon is delivering Grant Aided benefits to the industry with compelling Power Cost management. Guarantees of Origin (GOOs) qualify for the emerging ESG-compliance requirements of all commercial activity.

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    Marguerite Sayers
    Marguerite Sayers was appointed ESB Deputy Chief Executive in July 2022. Immediately prior to this, she held the role of Executive Director, Customer Solutions since 2018. She has worked in various technical and managerial positions in ESB for over 30 years, including Generation Manager, Head of Asset Management for ESB Networks and Managing Director of ESB Networks DAC. She has a degree in Electrical Engineering from University College Cork (UCC). She is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow and Past President of Engineers Ireland, a Fellow of the Academy of Engineers, a member of the Board of Energy UK and a Governor of the Irish Times Trust.

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    Barry Quinlan
    Barry Quinlan is the Assistant Secretary leading on Built Environment; Retrofit and Heat Policy where key priorities include: the National Retrofit Programme; the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme; the Energy Efficiency Directive; the Renewable Energy Directive; Public Sector Energy Efficiency; and Renewable Heat Policy. Barry joined the Department in December 2021 from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, where he had led the Affordable Housing and Local Government Divisions. Prior to that Barry worked in the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Justice. Barry is a graduate of University College Dublin.

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    Padraig Fleming
    Padraig Fleming is currently working on increasing the amount of renewable gas that Gas Networks Ireland transports to start the transformation of gas industry in Ireland to a sustainable energy business. He has previously worked for a number of energy companies including Ervia, Bord Gáis Energy, ESB, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.

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    Conor Murphy MLA
    Conor Murphy MLA was appointed Economy Minister on 3 February 2024.Having first been elected to the Assembly in 1998, Mr Murphy served as Finance Minister between 2020 and 2022 and Minister for Regional Development between 2007 and 2011. He has also been a member of the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. Mr Murphy was MP for Newry and Armagh between 2005 and 2015.

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    J Owen Lewis
    Owen Lewis chairs the IIEA Working Group on Climate and Energy. He is also Emeritus Professor of Architectural Science, UCD Dublin. He is former President of the Royal Dublin Society, and a former member of the Board of the National Gallery of Ireland. Owen was previously Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) between 2009 and 2012.Qualified as architect, engineer, and energy technologist, he has practised professionally in Ireland, England and Zambia. He was part-time ExecutiveDirector for Innovation and R&D at Bord na Móna between 2006 and 2008.Owen was Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at UCD Dublin and later Principal of the UCD College of Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences. In 1976 Owen co-founded the Solar Energy Society of Ireland.

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    Donna Gartland
    Donna Gartland took up the position of Chief Executive Officer of Codema in April 2020 and has worked with the company since 2013. She is a qualified electrician with a BEng in Energy and Environmental Engineering from the Institute of Technology Tallaght and a MSc in Sustainable Energy Planning and Management from Aalborg University, Denmark. She is currently completing a PhD in Energy Engineering with University College Cork. In her previous role as Codema’s Senior Energy Planner, Donna worked on monitoring and reporting the progress of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan for Dublin City in line with the Covenant of Mayors Initiative and developed the first Spatial Energy Demand Analyses (SEDA) in Ireland for all four Dublin local authorities in order to integrate energy and spatial planning at a local level. Donna is also working on implementing the first District Heating systems in Dublin with Dublin City and South Dublin County Councils, and is Technical Advisor on the EU Interreg NWE project ‘HeatNet’. She is the lead author of the national level ‘Guide to District Heating in Ireland’ report, funded by the SEAI.

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    Claragh Mulhern
    Claragh Mulhern is the Acting Principal Adviser in the Planning Division at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, where she has worked since 2019. Previously Claragh worked in the local government sector in the U.K. for 15 years, including 11 years working for Westminster City Council in Central London on a range of planning projects. In her current role, Claragh has responsibility for the preparation of national planning policy including the National Planning Framework and the development of related planning policy measures, oversight of the implementation of national policy through the regional strategies and local authority development plans through liaison with the Office of the Planning Regulator, the development of land activation and active land management measures and the provision of professional planning advice in support of Government policy including in relation to housing and renewable energy development. Claragh graduated with a Masters Degree in Regional and Urban Planning from University College Dublin in 2003 and is a Member of the Irish Planning Institute.

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    David Surplus
    David Surplus is Managing Director of B9 Energy. B9 Energy group was formed in 1992 and developed and built 10 onshore wind farm projects and became the UK and Ireland’s largest independent operator of wind plant with 49 wind farms under contract. In addition B9 developed and built Northern Ireland’s first utility scale anaerobic digestion power station. David is past Chairman of the MATRIX Sustainable Energy Advisory Panel in Northern Ireland and current Chairman of the North South Market Development Steering Group (NSMDSG) on waste management. He was awarded an OBE in the 2015 birthday honours list for “services to renewable energy especially in Northern Ireland”. David graduated from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne as a Marine Engineer in 1980.

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    Marie Cowan
    Marie Cowan is the Director of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and a senior management board member at the British Geological Survey. Marie is a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) and holds an IoD diploma in Company Direction. Marie is also Professional Geologist with the Institute of Geologists of Ireland. Marie is an elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly All-Party Group for Science and Technology. She currently chairs Northern Ireland’s Geothermal Advisory Committee for the Department for the Economy; this year Marie was awarded the Geological Society of London Energy Group medal for her work.

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    Katie Petherbridge
    Katie Petherbridge is an Innovation Delivery Manager at National Gas with an engineering background. Katie is leading the Delivery team is building technical capabilities of topics such as assets, materials, automation, and digitalisation to support the Hydrogen Safety Case for the UK Net Zero Energy Transition. Katie has recently been appointed as Chair of the EU Hydrogen Gas Asset Readiness Safety Working Group.

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    Seán Finan
    Seán Finan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA). He is a Chartered Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Hons) Degree from National University of Ireland, Galway. Seán is leading IrBEA and its members for a sustainable future in bioenergy and to strategically position the Biomass, Biogas, Biofuels, Biochar, Wood fuels and Energy crop sectors to play a key role in Ireland’s Sustainability & Renewable Energy Roadmap.

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    Martin Reilly
    Martin Reilly is the COO for Kyte Powertech Ltd. He is responsible for the operational activities of the Distribution Transformer facility located in Co. Cavan, Ireland. He joined Kyte Powertech in 1999 and has held several management positions in various European countries and was appointed COO for the business in 2022. Martin holds a Bachelor of Business Studies in Marketing and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

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    Tony Yates
    Dr Tony Yates is Managing Director of Nephin Renewable Gas. He has 25 years experience in the waste and renewables industry, including 22 years working as head of the AD advisory for an international environmental consultancy. With a first degree in chemical engineering and a Doctorate in carbon accounting, Tony is passionate about the part biomethane has to play in decarbonising modern society. His expertise has been utilised on projects in Ireland and assignments throughout the UK, Europe, and North America.

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    Dr Chris Harris
    Dr Chris Harris is visiting industrial fellow at the University of Bath. He is on the industrial advisory board of the Supergen Energy Networks Hub, a member of the Electricity Market Reform Panel of Technical Experts, advisor to the Association of Renewable Energy and Clean Technology, member of the Future Renewables Investment External Expert Panel, and deputy independent member of the Single Electricity Market Committee. He has written textbooks, including “Electricity Markets”.

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    Peter Kehoe
    Peter Kehoe is a Programme Manager within SEAIs District Heating Centre of Excellence which is responsible for supporting, co-ordinating and promoting District Heating in Ireland. Peter is a chartered engineer with over 10 years’ experience in the Energy & Utility sector, delivering infrastructure projects and services across public and private sector.

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    Rory Monaghan
    Rory Monaghan is Associate Professor of Energy Systems Engineering in the School of Engineering at the University of Galway. He is the Leader of the Ryan Institute’s Energy Research Centre, a Funded Investigator in MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, and the Director of the NUI Galway Energy Engineering Programme. Dr Monaghan’s research on decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors covers hydrogen, bioenergy, renewable gases, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS). He leads a team of nine researchers and has won funding of over €2.5 million from national, EU and industrial research partners. Dr Monaghan has co-authored over 50 peerreviewed publications, and policy documents for the Northern Ireland Government, SEAI and EPA. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on energy technology and policy.

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    John FitzGerald
    John FitzGerald has been a Research Affiliate at the ESRI since November 2014. Prior to that he was a Research Professor at the ESRI and Programme Coordinator of the Macroeconomics and Energy Policy Research fields. He became a member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2011 and he is an Honorary Fellow of GMIT and TCD. John FitzGerald is currently an Adjunct Professor, Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin, and in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, UCD.

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    John O’Shea
    John O’Shea is the Heat & Electricity Lead for Codema – Dublin’s Not-for-Profit Energy Agency. He has expert knowledge of low-carbon heating, district energy, energy planning, and policy development. John has worked on the development of heat transition roadmaps across Europe and has been a key contributor to European policy and research on waste heat utilisation, and is Ireland’s representative on the International Energy Agency’s Technology Collaboration Programme on district heating and cooling.

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    Commissioner Kadri Simson
    Kadri Simson is an Estonian politician from the Centre Party. She is serving as a European Commissioner for Energy in the Von der Leyen Commission since 1 December 2019. She was previously the Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure in Jüri Ratas' first cabinet from 2016 to 2019. During the Estonian Presidency in the Council of the EU, Simson chaired both energy ministers and transport ministers meetings in TTE Council and ministers of economy format in EU Competitiveness Council. From 2007–2016 Kadri Simson was a member of the 11th, 12th, and 13th Riigikogu and in 2019 she was also elected to the 14th Riigikogu. She holds a Master's degree in Political Science from University College London.

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    David Noronha
    David is the Head of Future Networks and Strategic Offshore Planning, in the Innovation and Planning directorate at EirGrid. David is responsible for offshore planning from 2030 beyond. Prior to David’s role in EirGrid, he was the Senior Director for Project Delivery at Smart Wires Inc in Europe, responsible for end-to-end delivery of Power Flow Control devices on transmission networks. Before that, he was the Director of SSE Airtricity Distributed Energy Ltd where he led major smart energy infrastructure projects. David has led projects in demand side management, solar and battery storage, electrification of transport, and optimisation of wind generation forecasts. Before joining the energy industry, he worked in design consultancy and construction management in Ireland, the UK and Australia. David holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Cranfield University and an MSc in Urban Design from Queens University Belfast.

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    Dr. Alexander Bedrunka
    Dr. Alexander Bedrunka is a hydrogen expert and project manager of the Hydrogen Network of Lower Saxony. He advises and supports politics, businesses, and science in accelerating the development of a sustainable hydrogen economy.

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    Deirdre_Hargey MLA
    Deirdre Hargey was first elected to Belfast City Council in 2011, representing the Laganbank District..

    In 2020, Deirdre was co-opted to the Northern Ireland Assembly to replace Máirtín Ó Muilleoir.

    She was appointed as Communities Minister on 11 January 2020 and was sworn in as interim Minister for the Economy on the 9th of May 2024.

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    Cecilia Trasi
    Cecilia Trasi is a Research Analyst at Bruegel, specializing in green industrial policy, clean technologies, and climate diplomacy. Her work focuses on the EU’s role in the global clean tech race and the external dimension of the Green Deal. Previously, she worked at the European Commission and the OECD. She holds a master's in public policy from the Hertie School and a bachelor's in economics from Università Cattolica of Milan. She regularly publishes research and contributes to policy debates on Europe's climate and industrial strategy.

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    Dara Lynott
    Dara Lynott is the CEO of the Electricity Association of Ireland since 2018. Prior to that he was a Director of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2004 and had responsibility for the Office of Sustainability, licensing of large industrial and waste activities under the Industrial Emission Directive (IED), greenhouse gas inventories and projections, carbon emission trading, circular economy, and the Office of Environmental Enforcement. Prior to joining the EPA, Dara worked in the private sector for eight years as an environmental engineering consultant in Boston, USA. He holds a BE from NUIG, a MSc from Northeastern University, Boston, and a Post Grad Dip. from the UCD Smurfit Business School. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of Engineers Ireland, and a Professional Engineer (VT, USA).

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