Ireland and the SuperGrid: Delivering on Our Climate Potential

Eamon Ryan TD

Eamon Ryan TD is the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Minister for 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.

Seán Kelly MEP 

Seán Kelly has been a member of the European Parliament for Ireland South since 2009. He is the current leader of Ireland's Fine Gael (EPP) party in the European Parliament.

Mr. Kelly sits on the European Parliament's Committees on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), International Trade (INTA) and Constitutional Affairs (AFCO). He is a member of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the United Kingdom and of the Delegation for relations with countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In 2015, MEP Kelly led discussions in the ITRE committee as a rapporteur ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement at which the historic global agreement was finalised. In 2016, he worked on a New Deal for Energy Consumers, which highlighted the ways to ensure a consumer-focused energy transition.

MEP Kelly worked as EPP shadow rapporteur for the recast of the Renewable Energy Directive in the last Parliamentary Term, which reached an agreement with the Bulgarian Presidency on an EU Renewable Energy target of 32%, along with other important provisions that will see more renewables in heating and cooling and transport. The legislation also empowers citizens to participate in the transition to renewable energy.

In 2018, MEP Kelly was appointed ITRE Committee rapporteur on the new InvestEU programme which will use a budgetary guarantee to mobilise investment into Sustainable Infrastructure, Research and Innovation, SMEs, and social investment and skills. Most recently, MEP Kelly was Rapporteur of an Implementation Report on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which the Parliament voted in favour with an overwhelming majority in December 2021. He has since been appointed as EPP Rapporteur on the recast of the EPBD that the European Commission also announced in December of last year.

MEP Kelly remains very active in the ITRE Committee in relation to the "Fit for 55" package, the largest single batch of legislation to tackle climate change proposed by any government, anywhere. 

Marcos Byrne 

Marcos Byrne is a Market and Policy Analyst at SuperNode. Marcos has a Degree and Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin. He comes from a background in developing renewable energy projects with Mainstream Renewable Power, where he gained experience in onshore wind, offshore win, and solar. His current role with SuperNode looks into future market trends, product development for innovative cable solutions, and working towards policy changes for the future energy system. He is also Renewables Policy Director at CurrENT.  

Úna Brosnan 

Úna Brosnan is the Head of Offshore Strategy & New Markets at Mainstream, RUK Board member and former co-chair for the Friends of Floating Offshore Wind. She is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 20 years industry experience with the last twelve years immersed in renewable energy with global renewable energy experience with project experience extending across development and technology in both fixed and floating wind.

Úna is responsible for Mainstream Offshore Strategy, supporting market entry, partnerships and building relationships within country supply chains. She also has experience working at trade level supporting market opportunities, building supply chain and shaping policy and working in focus groups for regulatory frameworks of offshore wind emerging markets and is a member of number of a number of GWEC taskforces. Úna is also a member of the Scottish Energy Technology Partnership advisory board and Chair of the Industrial advisory board for Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures CDT. 

Vasiliki Klonari 

Vasiliki Klonari is the Head of Energy System Integration at WindEurope. Vasiliki holds a Civil Engineering diploma (AUTH, Greece) and an industry-research PhD in Electrical Engineering (UMONS, ORES DSO, Belgium) on the analysis of power distribution grids with high share of distributed renewable energy sources.

Since November 2018, Vasiliki has been working for WindEurope coordinating WindEurope’s activities on wind power system integration including grid codes, grid planning and optimisation, interoperability, electricity markets and ancillary services, digitalisation, and cybersecurity. Vasiliki is currently heading the energy system integration unit. Before this, she worked as a post-doctoral researcher on the reliability analysis of offshore wind farms (ULB, ENGIE Benelux, Belgium). Since 2017, Vasiliki has been the co-founder of the Belgian company ReVolta that specialises on the design, manufacturing and operation of second-life stationary battery systems.

Robbie Aherne 

Robbie Aherne serves as Head of Future Networks within EirGrid Group, a position he has held since October 2020. He has worked with EirGrid, the semi-state body responsible for operating Ireland’s national electricity grid, for over 15 years and has held a number of senior roles, including: Head of Public Engagement and Head of New Connections. He received his MSc in Electrical Power Systems from the University of Bath and completed his Degree in Electrical Engineering in UCC.