Renewables Industry bids farewell to trailblazer Eddie O’Connor
Tributes have been paid to Dr Eddie O’Connor, a veteran of Ireland’s energy sector, who passed away over the weekend.
O’Connor (76) was the founder of renewable technology companies Airtricity, Mainstream Renewable Power and, most recently, SuperNode.
With a background in chemical and industrial engineering,
O’Connor held various positions in ESB in the 1970s following the completion of
his bachelor’s degree from University College Dublin. He was CEO of Bord na
Móna for around a decade.
O’Connor went on to found Airtricity in 1997 which, within a
decade, became a leading renewable energy producer across Europe and North
America. It was sold to SSE (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy) for nearly
€2bn in 2008, when it was renamed SSE Airtricity.
Following the sale, O’Connor, who had a doctorate in
business administration, founded Mainstream Renewable Power, a leading global
renewable energy company with projects spanning five continents. Norwegian
green investment group Aker Horizons acquired a majority stake in the company
in 2021.
His most recent project was SuperNode, a start-up founded in
2018 that is designing and manufacturing the future of Ireland’s energy
transmission cable systems using novel methods. As part of the deal with Aker to acquire Mainstream, Aker also got a 50pc
stake in SuperNode.
‘Business leader with a bold vision’
In July last year, SuperNode which is led by CEO John
Fitzgerald invested €40m into research and development of new
superconducting cables to boost Ireland’s transition to net-zero carbon
emissions, supported by the Government through IDA Ireland.
Ealier this year, SuperNode secured €16m in funding from its shareholders O’Connor
and Aker. In April 2023, the start-up struck a major deal with CERN to
collaborate on improving its superconducting cable systems to improve energy
transmission across long distances.
“Eddie O’Connor was an inspiring business leader with a bold
vision and the capacity to get things done, as demonstrated throughout his
varied career, making him a prominent and successful renewable energy
entrepreneur,” said Ibec CEO Danny McCoy.
“His collaborative spirit and strategic foresight were ever
present during his leadership of Bord na Móna. His passion for innovation was a
real driving force behind his work in setting up Airtricity and as a co-founder
of Mainstream Renewables and SuperNode. Above all else, Eddie was a visionary,
as evidenced by his efforts in promoting the idea of a European supergrid.”
Wind Energy Ireland also issued a statement following
O’Connor’s death, describing him as one of the creators of Ireland’s wind
energy industry.
“Eddie O’Connor revolutionised how we produce and use energy
in this country. Ireland’s wind energy industry was built on the foundations he
and others laid in the 1990s and their vision of a cleaner, more prosperous
energy future for all of us,” said Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland.
“Working together to make [a trans-European supergrid] a
reality, to achieve energy independence and to build a clean energy future, is
the best way to honour a man who gave so much to our industry and to this
country.”
