PPS18 was released in 2009 in order to prepare for an increase in renewable energy applications stemming from the European Union’s 2020 targets (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent on 1990 levels, to generate 20 per cent of energy from renewables and increase energy efficiency by 20 per cent.) The Strategic Energy Framework’s target to generate 40 per cent of electricity and 10 per cent of heat from renewables by 2020 adds more pressure to bring about that change.

From October 2010 to October 2011, renewable electricity generation averaged at 10.6 per cent (882,276 MWh) of total electricity generated in Northern Ireland (8,331,515 MWh), despite Northern Ireland having considerable wind potential. The consensus in the energy sector is that the planning system is burdensome, bureaucratic and too readily takes the side of local opposition.

PPS18 encourages the integration of wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass energy technologies and the application of passive solar design (i.e. for heating and cooling) in the siting and layout of the development.

For wind turbines, PPS18 points to supplementary planning guidance which notes that large scale landscapes where the turbines do not impact on the horizon, tourism sites, surrounding buildings or landmarks (perhaps brownfield or industrial sites that are already affected by masts, pylons or chimneys) are the most likely to get planning. Applications for areas with a “scenic quality”, cultural importance or that have a “wild or tranquil character” are less likely to be passed.

Wind farm developers also have to consider the impact of existing turbines and those with undetermined applications. They must assess the risk of causing a landslide or bog-burst and ensure that it won’t impact on telecommunications systems such as air traffic control or emergency services communications. Safety problems arising from noise, ice throw or reflected light must be considered, and plans must be in place to dispose of the technology and restore the site if necessary.

Damage caused by construction of the renewable technology must be mitigated by compensation such as a habitat management plan or creation of a new habitat.

The statement sums up: “Development[s] will be permitted provided the proposal, and any associated buildings and infrastructure, will not result in an unacceptable adverse impact on public safety, human health, or residential amenity; visual amenity and landscape character; biodiversity, nature conservation or built heritage interests; local natural resources; and public access to the countryside.”

Queen’s academics Geraint Ellis and John Barry, in a 2010 paper entitled: ‘Beyond consensus? Antagonism, republicanism and a low carbon future’, argue that the search for consensus between opponents and developers should be replaced with “open and honest” debate.

In order to meet the 2020 targets in the next decade, local opponents should be engaged in “meaningful engagement” e.g. through public enquiries, citizens’ juries and planning appeals. The possibility of locally enforceable energy targets should be considered, the pair suggest.

Ellis’ research found that although visual impact is the most common cause for opposition, it is given a low priority in the planning process. Opposition peaks when a development is proposed but declines when it is built. The regulators and developers can portray opponents as ‘deviant’, thereby heightening their antagonism.

Ellis and Barry concluded that proper engagement with local residents would be “a radical departure from the current planning process” and would increase the likelihood of gaining support.

Political will is crucial for developing offshore energy, European energy representatives have emphasised.

As part of the Open Days conference, agendaNi attended a seminar on supergrids in the North Sea and English Channel, hosted by the Norwegian mission to the EU. While not a member state, Norway co-operates closely with the EU on energy and produces as much oil as the entire union. In contrast, it generates virtually all its electricity from hydro plants.

Friends of the Supergrid Chief Executive Ana Aguado Cornago said the technologies for supergrid projects are available right now but the main barriers are regulation and the lack of political will. The North Sea political agreement on supergrids (December 2010) had encouraged innovation and she expected other member states to follow UK and Germany if they took the lead.

A European approach was needed as some coastal countries had less wind than others, and relying on their own waters would put them at a disadvantage. Energy had not been “very attractive” as a career for several years but Cornago was pleased to see more graduates entering the sector.

Pension funds were also increasingly interested in investment in the grid, as they were regulated and a secure. She recognised the importance of compensation to protect the environment, contrasting the overdevelopment along the Spanish coast with conservation in the Netherlands. That said, objections held up a Spain-France interconnector for 25 years.

Kees Visser, a councillor from the Dutch port of Den Helder, explained how it would take up the opportunity of offshore wind. The port already serves the North Sea oil and gas fields, has an onshore turbine construction industry, heliport and a turbine test site, and is generating R&D at the Netherlands Maritime Campus.

Specific research areas include blade construction, remote control and the optimal grouping of turbines: “Applied research, innovation and product development for offshore wind offers a new high quality employment. It also develops secondary and higher vocational education for the offshore sector.”

However, the port’s expansion has also damaged the environment, by building on a nature reserve. For compensation, it is required to set aside land for a new habitat. Not surprisingly, Den Helder’s entrepreneurs recommend the clustering of the entire supply chain around ports.

Visser warned that European research needed more co-ordination as many projects duplicated each other, while Chinese and South Korean technology moved forward. He wanted to see “vision towards innovation,” citing the transformation in IT, from supercomputers to the smartphone.

“I think you can’t call a $1 billion industry a left-wing hobby anymore these days,” said Visser (a member of the liberal People’s Party) and he expected wind to become self-financing in 10-15 years.

European Renewable Energies Federation Director Dörte Fouquet was adamant that Europe needed distributed and decentralised renewables. Independent power producers generated more than

90 per cent of German renewable energy. The European Commission and several member states did not understand the need for “energy system change” and still preferred central models.

“We cannot choose and pick some people,” she added, emphasising the need to recognise the future potential of ocean, wave and tidal energy. Denmark stood out as a success story, as it treated renewable energy as industrial policy (i.e. not just against climate change).

Case study: Ostend

The Belgian port of Ostend has opened up two terminals to offshore renewables, including foundation construction. Six foundation structures (each weighing 2,800 tons) have been built onsite by local firm C-Power. The inner port offers a direct rail connection and a

60 hectare open area for future green energy development. The 18 hectare Greenbridge science park is a joint project between the port and Ghent University.

Belfast’s original streets are disappearing and will soon be gone for good unless urgent action is taken, according to Mark Hackett. “I think we have very little time to save what is unique about Belfast’s spaces,” the architect states.

Most of the old Victorian terraces and mill buildings have been knocked down, taking with them much of the city’s character. Some of the best remaining examples can be found in the Village and the New Lodge.

Hackett is a Co-Director of the Forum for Alternative Belfast, a non-profit “think tank and do tank” aiming for “a connected and a better designed city”.

As well as being more sensitive to the past, he wants to see more strategic thinking about how today’s streets are used. This follows on from the ‘Happy to live here?’ exhibition on urban design organised by him and fellow architect Declan Hill in 2006.

“What was realised was that it wasn’t so much the housing, as the spaces in between housing, that was the biggest problem,” he comments. Car parking bays, for example, take up the space which could be used for a front garden.

No one organisation is in charge. The Roads Service, for example, maintains the street surface, its signs and lights, while the city council handles building standards and street names. A multiplicity of organisations “means it’s very difficult to pull together those forces to make good space.”

Decision-makers are also disconnected from local communities due to the Troubles and the legacy of direct rule. Hackett therefore sees a “renewed sense of local politics” as an important factor, with the people who make the decisions about an area actually coming from the area.

“What we need to talk about is care or pride in our area” whether than means the street or the city.

However, he claims that Belfast is not a single entity but three or four cities, with each one “not aware of the other”. The city centre “has become almost a utility for shopping, for business, but nobody lives there”.

The solution, in his view, does not involve re-inventing the wheel but just adapting best practice from other places and implementing that with strong leadership. The English Partnerships quality standards, for example, were copied in Dublin’s regeneration.

At street level, strict enforcement of waste regulations would also improve appearances e.g. making sure that bins do not take up space at the front of houses. The new Social Development Minister will be asked by the forum to take a walk around two recent housing schemes, to point out examples of poor design.

While the city was once “completely walkable”, it has been given over to the car. Road-building from the 1960s onwards encircled the city centre with large open spaces. Hackett characterises Belfast city centre as a ‘grey doughnut’ encircled by those spaces, which could be put to good use with some creative thinking.

Take the Divis Street bridge over the Westlink, for example. The forum’s ‘Divis Pathfinder’ project visualises the street as an arterial route that can raise the value of surrounding buildings and encourage people to walk into the city centre. Shops could be built on the bridge itself.

Publicly-owned land could be released in a controlled way, thus making it a zero- cost improvement. This project is being assisted by the Strategic Investment Board and the Roads Service.

In addition, the forum’s ‘Inter-Change’ project considers how the Roads Service can complete the flyover at York Street originally planned in the 1960s. Traffic currently spills over into the nearby streets. The forum thinks that these streets could be used by more pedestrians and cyclists, with gardens, trees, shops and housing, again increasing the land value. A four-week exhibition on the project, using work by architecture post-grads, was held at the nearby Golden Thread Gallery during May.

Released in January, the draft Regional Development Strategy maps out how Northern Ireland is expected to change up to 2025. It follows on from a 10-year review of the first ‘Shaping our Future’ strategy, which was published in 2001 and amended in 2008. This had been the British Isles’ first spatial strategy.

“Place, where things are and where things happen, can be often overlooked in decision making but it matters to people,” it states.

The final strategy will influence the new Programme for Government, the revised Investment Strategy, and future spending

by departments, councils and the private sector. It is hard to think ahead in an economic crisis, the document admits, but the region must be positioned to make a “speedy recovery”.

Another review will be needed after the 11 new councils are introduced.

Belfast is the closest city for 75 per cent of Northern Ireland’s population, with the rest looking to Derry. If regional development is to be balanced, it must be fit into a ‘spatial framework’ identifying where development should take place outside those two cities.

Nine sub-regional centres are proposed: Ballymena; Coleraine; Cookstown; Craigavon; Downpatrick; Enniskillen; Newry; Newtownards; and Omagh.

These centres can then be clustered with smaller towns, which could share services e.g. a small hospital. Five clusters are proposed:

• Ballymena and Antrim;

• Coleraine, Ballymoney and Ballycastle;

• Cookstown, Dungannon and Magherafelt;

• Craigavon and Banbridge (and possibly Armagh); and

• Newry and Dundalk (cross-border).

Six ‘gateways’ will provide Northern Ireland’s main connections with its neighbours and the wider world:

• Belfast (principal sea port and the City Airport);

• Belfast International Airport;

• Larne (second largest sea port);

• Derry (sea port, regional airport and road links to Donegal);

• Newry (links to Warrenpoint Harbour, Dundalk and Dublin); and

• Enniskillen (links to Sligo).

Four economic corridors can be traced out from these points:

• Eastern seaboard (Larne-Belfast- Newry-Dublin);

• Western (Derry-Omagh-Monaghan);

• Northern (Belfast-Ballymena- Coleraine-Derry); and

• South western (Belfast-Craigavon- Dungannon-Enniskillen-Sligo).

Around 40 per cent of the population live outside these settlements. Fast population growth has reversed a long decline, but the planning system is under pressure as it tries to balance this with the landscape. New technology and telecoms can help deliver services in remote areas, it suggests. Rathlin faces unique challenges, as the province’s only inhabited offshore island.

“The Regional Development Strategy provides an overarching strategic planning framework to facilitate and guide both the public and private sectors,” said Conor Murphy. “The speed and direction of change in our society and economy requires a new approach to spatial development.” The consultation closes on 31 March.

Grow Belfast’s population

Belfast’s population must grow to reach its potential. An aim of 300,000 residents by 2021 is set, up from 268,400 in 2009. That level was last reached in the 1980s. The Troubles contributed to a long decline, which has continued with growth in the commuter belt.

More housing, a stronger water and waste water network, and an efficient public transport system are vital. Some 22,000 jobs could be created over 2008-2028, mostly in services.

‘Urban villages’ would take shape in inner city areas. All Belfast’s citizens must benefit from wealth creation, it adds. Gateways into the city centre and arterial routes are seen as areas with good potential for housing development.

A strong north west

Derry’s continued regeneration could transform the city and the north west. The Ebrington Barracks and Fort George sites would add 17 hectares of development land. The city also needs 13,700 new houses over 2008-2025 according to revised indicators. An “exceptional landscape setting” contributes to its potential for tourism and the city should be “promoted as a major tourist destination in its own right”.

Transport links through the city centre must be improved, especially to make it easier for passengers to change between bus and rail. Strabane and Limavady are important service centres and both have tourism potential. The north west also has a “significant renewable energy resource” i.e. wind farms.

Cut car journeys

Reducing car use is prioritised, to tackle the effects of climate change. Eighty per cent of commuters drive to work. When neighbourhoods are being designed, shops, churches and offices etc. should be located near to homes. This would therefore encourage more people to walk, cycle or take public transport in their daily routine.

“The car may be essential for some journeys but its value needs to be weighed against impact on the environment,” it warns. New infrastructure will be needed to power electric vehicles. More energy efficiency in buildings is needed, as around 75 per cent of the current building stock will be standing in 2050.

North/South focus

“More can be achieved through collaboration than competition,” the document states. Public transport links and energy inter-connections are highlighted as two areas which can benefit North and South.

The Dublin-Belfast economic corridor should be developed as the “major driver of growth on this island” and the Derry-Letterkenny gateway can also be unlocked. The potential for a Dublin-North West corridor will also be explored.

The futures of Newry and Dundalk, Derry and Letterkenny, and Enniskillen and Sligo, are “closely inter-related”. Conor Murphy and outgoing Irish Environment Minister Éamon Ó Cuív have launched a joint consultation on a ‘framework for collaboration on spatial

strategies for the island of Ireland’ which closes on 11 April.

Links with Great Britain are “no less important” due to strong cultural and trading ties, the Moyle Interconnector and natural gas pipeline. Ferry routes between Belfast and Larne to Scotland are recognised as “key links” and Liverpool is one of Europe’s largest sea ports. Better connections would encourage tourists to travel between Northern Ireland, Scotland and North West England.

Lisburn’s potential

Five per cent of Northern Ireland’s employment growth over 1998-2008 took place in Lisburn district, a rate set to rise to 10 per cent over 2008-2028. Lisburn is “strategically located at the meeting of key transport corridors” and has a strong city centre for retail. Sprucefield is the province’s only out-of-town regional shopping centre.

Shared spaces

Integrated services and facilities must be developed, the strategy states, so that everyone has a “sense of belonging” when using them. There should be no perceived or physical barriers which stop people from going to those places. A stronger community spirit and sense of place is also needed, and could be achieved if more people took part in the planning process.

Planning applications for tourism purposes must respect the environment on which the trade depends, according to Northern Ireland’s first specific policy on the subject.

Draft Planning Policy Statement 16 (PPS16) was published in November and its consultation runs to 25 March. As with the other statements, it applies to Northern Ireland as a whole. The final version’s provisions will prevail unless they are outweighed by other overriding policy or material considerations.

In a timely message, it warns: “Nothing in this document should be read as a commitment that public resources will be provided for any specific project.”

Objectives

Five objectives are set out:

• facilitate “sustainable tourism development” in an environmentally sensitive manner;
• safeguard tourism assets from “inappropriate” development;
• “utilise and develop” the tourism potential of settlements;
• sustain a “vibrant” rural community by supporting tourism development;
• ensure a high standard of quality and design for all tourism development.

Developments should have an “appropriate nature, location and scale” whether they are sited in urban and rural areas.

Eight planning policies are then outlined:
1. safeguarding of tourism assets;
2. tourism development in settlements;
3. tourism development in the countryside;
4. tourist amenities in the countryside;
5. hotels in the countryside;
6. self-catering accommodation in the countryside;
7. static holiday parks and touring caravan sites in the countryside;
8. criteria for tourism development.

A tourism asset is any feature associated with the built or natural environment which is of “intrinsic interest” to tourists. Planning permission would not be granted for developments which fall inside the “visual setting” of a tourism asset and have an “adverse impact”. The policy recognises that the views and scenery around tourist attractions are worth protecting, and complements existing policies with the same aim.

As a rule, proposals for tourism developments in settlements would be approved. Tourism can support hotels, restaurants and cinemas “as well as promoting a sense of urban vitality.” In turn, the “synergy” of having all these facilities in one town centre can benefit tourism. Development plans would, though, also need to be considered e.g. a proposal in an industrial area or near a nature reserve may be inappropriate.

Five of the eight policies cover the countryside, where planning is a much more sensitive issue. These tie in with PPS21, which allows for farm diversification, the conversion of non- residential buildings, and developments in dispersed rural communities. PPS4 also allows for the redevelopment of an established business for tourism purposes.

More than other industries, rural tourism depends on a “pleasant and attractive countryside and a good quality environment”. Converting, re-using or extending existing buildings is strongly preferred. A new building would only be considered if a rural location is essential or if it cannot be built in a nearby settlement. In these cases, planners would prefer applications on the fringes of an existing settlement.

Tourist amenities are amenities, facilities or services provided primarily for tourists, not including accommodation. Applicants must also respect the original building’s design and materials. Proposals inside settlements would be a priority, but some exceptions can be made e.g. a stop on a mountain bike trail.

A regionally significant or large-scale application would include a ‘tourism benefit statement’ to demonstrate how it will create revenue and jobs, and contribute to the province-wide Tourism Strategy. These will also be referred to the Tourist Board.

Accommodation

An existing rural building can be replaced by a hotel if it meets all the following criteria:

• permanent structure;
• sufficient size for hotel use;
• conversion is too costly;
• a “significant environmental benefit” will result;
• integration into the surrounding landscape;
• high quality design, appropriate to a rural setting and “local distinctiveness”;
• access, car parking and other necessary services are available or can be provided safely, without damaging the environment, or the locality’s appearance or character.

New hotel builds in the countryside would only be permitted if:

• no suitable site is available inside a settlement;
• conversion or redevelopment is not possible; and
• the development is “clearly associated” with the nearest settlement but will not dominate it, “adversely affect” the landscape or contribute to urban sprawl.

Permission to expand existing rural hotels would only be possible if the new or replacement building is smaller than the current one, and if the design is respectful.

Clusters of three or more self-catering units would be approved if they are:

• located in the grounds of an existing hotel or an acceptable proposed hotel;
• close to an existing or proposed tourist amenity, which is or will be a “significant attraction in its own right”;
• restorations of an existing clachan or close.

Units must have a short-term opening season i.e. a maximum of three consecutive months in any one calendar year, be for holiday letting only and not for permanent residence. Self-catering should contribute to existing or planned tourism developments.

For static caravan parks, new sites and large scale extensions will only be permitted on sites identified in a development plan. Small touring caravan sites should be less than 1 hectare in size, effectively screened off, and not located beside the coast, a river or an inland lake. Larger sites would be closely scrutinised for their environmental impact.

Development plans

Strategies to develop local tourism could be drawn up alongside development plans, PPS16 suggests. These could incorporate: which areas and activities offer potential growth; how to best accommodate future demand, how to safeguard “key tourism assets”; environmental considerations; and tourism’s contribution to economic development, conservation and urban regeneration. Early consultation should take place between the plan team, district councils, relevant government departments and other key agencies e.g. the Tourist Board.

Unlike many of its competitors, avoiding turning into a property developer has given Sisk the agility to survive and thrive in the current economic downturn. Of the recession, Barr comments: “We stuck to our core business as a builder and it allowed us to react very quickly to the market and redeploy staff.” The company strategically “got a way out from the downturn in a relatively short period of time.” Ultimately, Barr comments that Sisk can become Northern Ireland’s choice contractor within the next five years.

Sectoral approach

Sisk’s three strongest sectors are civils (i.e. roads, water, rail and aviation), industrial and energy; the latter of which is likely to predominate and lead over the next two years. In contrast, the Republic’s residential, leisure and hotel sectors have fallen away.

“Energy is quite a diverse sector in itself,” Barr remarks, adding that Sisk extensively researched the future prospects of energy in Ireland as far back as 2006 in order to negotiate the way forward for the company in this specialist and increasingly competitive sector.

“The fruit from that work is that what we’re actually being rewarded at the minute, in terms of strong projects, very much comes from the investment that the company put into researching energy in Ireland and what it meant for Ireland going forward.” Sisk’s approach demonstrates a strategic awareness for long-term objectives, not just for the company but for the wider industry in which the company needs to operate.

Sisk has experience in delivering conventional power stations e.g. ESB’s Aghada power station plant, at Middleton, County Cork, and has since branched out into wind farms, biomass and energy-from-waste plant; it recently built Indaver’s plant at Duleek, in County Louth. The company’s involvement in the energy sector is reflective of its operational approach to sustainability and environmental protection. It considers its strength as a contractor “second to none” and is currently researching and positioning for large infrastructure project in Ireland and Great Britain, either by itself or as part of a consortium.

The company prefers to deliver large schemes in own right as the primary delivery stakeholder, but is confident in bringing on board specialist services to supplement its own scope of works, where required. In the Limerick tunnel project, for example, it worked alongside Austrian-based engineers Strabag to deliver a 675m long twin-bore road tunnel underneath the River Shannon. The tunnel forms part of the N18 Limerick southern ring road and the project was delivered two months ahead of schedule.

Sisk has also partnered with competing Northern Ireland contractors for road and infrastructure projects in Scotland and the Republic. It anticipates carrying out this work in the province also, but expects greater and more sustained growth in other specialist sectors.

Northern Ireland is now an important market for Sisk, with over £100 million in regional turnover last year and growing. “While the project scale in Northern Ireland is not maybe as big as it has been in the Irish market over the years, we found that we can be equally competitive in the market,” Barr says.

Sisk’s approach to partnering gives the company a winning edge in an increasingly complex procurement market. In practice, this involves investing substantial time and money in understanding the bespoke needs of the client and end-users, be those government agencies, public sector stakeholders or private investors. “And it does take a company with vision and obviously the financial strength to assign that time for development,” he continues. “We believe that we provide certainly the largest amount of pre-construction activity in the market at the minute.”

That trust is “the core ingredient to build on” and balances the risks taken on later in a project. Sisk works with clients to incorporate costly services, as an in- house package. Such services include assistance with speculative design, financial management; including life- cycle costing, performance monitoring, site assembly and geo-technical advice. As a matter of course, a risk management plan is drawn up, in collaboration with the client, and key risks are identified and mitigated at an early stage in projects.

“It’s important to try and establish that trust as early as possible and we feel that an open agenda is the best way of doing that,” Barr comments. A project only proceeds when it has a robust business case that satisfies the end user and funders, with the “last building block” in place.

Further afield

Sisk’s wider operations have sustained it during the recession and look set to dominate its profits over the coming years.

Its greatest growth is seen in Great Britain, where its 2009 accounts closed around £350 million turnover; this is expected to double by 2013. More recently, in a strategic bid to avoid redundancies, the company redeployed staff teams from Ireland to Britain so retaining valued resources and experience.

London’s Crossrail link (Europe’s largest current infrastructure project), Pembroke Power Station and a Scottish Power wind farm in East Renfrewshire are among recent significant deals secured over the last year, totalling around £400 million in value. Stabilising Irish turnover is “very important” but turnover from Great Britain over 2011-2014 will probably replace losses in the Republic of Ireland market “in equal terms”.

He expects that the largest part of the 2013 turnover will come from Great Britain – an historic first for Sisk as well as evidence of its respected reputation further afield.

Whilst the Northern Ireland market has its part to play in this growth phase, so does Sisk’s business in Poland, which has secured nearly €200 million of projects in the last 18 months, including a joint venture for three motorway contracts.

Sisk have previously undertaken some very complex civil engineering projects across Europe including power, pharmaceutical and major infrastructure; this experience and specialist expertise will underpin the successful delivery of these new and future contracts.

150 years

“We celebrated our 150th year in business last year,” Barr explains, “and Sisk, throughout those years, have been very much a partnering organisation and certainly don’t look at their business in a contractual format. We felt that, coming from that base, it relaxed a lot of clients at a very early stage in a new relationship.” That confidence, the company’s track record, its collaborative team-working approach and its robust financial status put Sisk in a strong position amongst its competitors.

John Sisk established his business in Cork in 1859. Notably, it was one of the first Irish construction companies to operate tower cranes to work on tall churches and cathedrals. Demand for high-rise buildings increased in Dublin during the 1960s, whereupon it moved its head office to the capital.

“After mastering the Dublin market, then they became more of a regionalised company throughout Ireland and became a brand identified with large schemes,” Barr recounts.

A “natural path of progression” followed, through the 1980s electronics boom (e.g. the Intel, Microsoft and Seagate plants) to the growth of pharmaceutical projects in 1990s (e.g. Eli Lilly, Wyeth and Abbott). This construction boom in the pharmaceutical sector, was contributed to by the company’s experience in the highly specialist electronics sector and has, in turn, proved strategic in winning energy sector projects. This ‘success building on success’ approach is due to the company’s agility to adapt to changing client needs, its commitment to technical excellence and an acute awareness of procurement strategies.

Northern record

Sisk had operated in Belfast back in the 1980s, but its interest in the North was revived five years ago when larger infrastructure projects started to come on stream. Bids were submitted for the Enniskillen Hospital PPP/PFI scheme and the proposed Maze stadium.

Barr recalls that the Maze scheme was “of particular interest” as such a large project would create a presence for the company in Northern Ireland, and Sisk felt it had something to offer the market at that scale and significance. Sisk devised a strategy to familiarise itself with the market during the bidding process, and research from its client base identified a gap in the market of which the company took advantage for the benefit of its new and existing clients.

Opening its Belfast regional office in January 2007, it was “embarking on quite a challenge”, both opening up new opportunities and preparing for challenges ahead. Sisk’s marketing strategy forecasted the three years up to 2010 and anticipated dealing with a recession.

Its confidence still stands: “Even in a downturn market, we feel that we pull right alongside some of the well- established and indigenous companies here in Northern Ireland.” As an all- Ireland company, Sisk sees itself as serving the whole island “very much on a localised basis” e.g. tapping into the local supply chain and job markets to embed the company within the local economy, creating employment and demonstrating its commitment to corporate social responsibility.

While neither the Enniskillen nor Maze bids were successful, Sisk did have early successes and its regional turnover this year will approach £100 million. Further growth is in the pipeline for 2012 and 2013.

Barr comments: “We’re very happy with that but it’s very much focused on a specific approach to specific sectors, and segments even within those sectors, that gives us that advantage and comfort for certainly a challenging time.”

Industry focus

Industrial clients tend to be “very focused on what they want” and a contractor has to build projects around them to maintain the client’s business continuity and ongoing production rates. Very few companies, in his view, can deliver “the sheer scale of the mechanical and electrical and process interfaces that come with an industrial job.”

As manufacturing time is vital, clients expect construction to be accelerated and aggressive. Cost certainty, on-time delivery and guaranteed build quality is more crucial than in other sectors, and requires teams of experienced staff, at all management levels, to provide that assurance. Equally, Sisk is fully committed to achieving best practice in health and safety, creating a safe and healthy working environment for its employees; continued business success will be built on the foundations of rigorous health and safety planning.

Sisk’s sector-focused mentality “allows people to be at the top of their game” in the sector in which they are proven successful.

Looking back over the past few years, Barr says that the company has performed very well with a highly skilled team led by main board Director Joe McLoughlin. He highlights and admires Joe’s vision to re-enter the Northern Ireland market and build a significant local presence.

While acknowledging growth despite difficult times, Barr anticipates more opportunities to come.

He contends that the challenging condition Irish infrastructure, North and South, will open up several major opportunities which Sisk is ready to meet. Priority areas include the water network, flood defence and the emerging all-island electricity grid. Similarly, the regeneration of rail infrastructure over next 10-20 years cannot be ruled out.

The company’s agility and wiliness to invest in developing knowledge and expertise in merging sectors has seen it thrive in an industry that has been decimated by the economic downturn. Over the past four years Sisk has shifted its business both sectorally and geographically and such agility will see it through in an increasingly uncertain future for the construction industry.

Profile: Mark Barr

Hailing from the north west, Mark Barr lives in Belfast and has 20 years’ experience in project management and has in recent years focused his career on business development. He worked for manufacturing multi-nationals and leading project management companies throughout Ireland and Great Britain before joining Sisk in 2006, where he looks after all business development activity in Northern Ireland.

The job involves spending a lot of time away from home, but he enjoys socialising and outdoor activities such as mountain biking at the weekends. The secrets of good project management, he says, are communication, respect for the other person’s opinion and being able to adapt yourself.

Councillors across Northern Ireland are to take on responsibility for planning decisions in their areas, under new proposals within the Planning Bill. Edwin Poots has said that the new legislation will “transform the planning system” and return control to councils.

A draft Planning Bill has been agreed by the Executive and is now being considered by the Assembly’s Environment Committee. Most planning functions will be transferred from central government to district councils.

The Planning Service would be dissolved on 31 March this year and its staff will be absorbed into the core of the Department of Environment. The six divisional planning offices across the province will be reduced to five area offices.

There will be three categories of development: regionally significant, major and local. Council officials and councillors will deal with major and local applications, while the department will hold responsibility for regionally significant and complex applications, such as the new hospital in Enniskillen.

“They [councillors] will have the recommendation of their professional planners, but they will make the decision and live with the consequences,” commented Poots.

Poots told ministers that the Bill should be passed before the end of the Assembly term. If adopted, the proposals will allow for the setting up of pilot schemes throughout the 26 councils in April and these will eventually be rolled out under the new 11-council model, which is expected to be introduced during the next Assembly’s term.

According to Poots, the proposals will “make the planning system more effective” as well as speeding up the decision-making process.

Safeguards will include an ethical standards regime, which would outline a mandatory code of conduct for councillors. A departmental spokesman explained that this will provide a guide for councillors’ behaviour, information regarding the register and declaration of interests, and a section on dealing with planning applications.

Under a new complaints procedure, all complaints regarding breaches of ethical standards in councils would be referred to the Northern Ireland Ombudsman to decide whether a case should be referred to the relevant council or if it should be investigated by his office. These proposals have now been put forward for a consultation, which runs until 11 March.

The draft Bill has faced criticisms from other political parties. The UUP’s Danny Kinahan said that the timing is “horribly wrong”. He claimed that the bill should be brought about in tandem with the reform of local government but not before it.

Sinn Féin’s Cathal Boylan believes that safeguards are vital and “would need to be enacted in legislative form either in tandem with the Planning Bill or indeed before any powers are transferred to local government”.

Alliance “reluctantly supports the Bill”. Anna Lo said that there needs to be a strong code of conduct and ethics “to ensure that councillors are not subject to undue influence from developers or businesses.”

The SDLP’s Patsy McGlone stated that legislative controls are necessary to ensure that planning permission is not used “for the purposes of political discrimination”. However, he commented that the SDLP “are very much in favour of local democracy”.

The Green Party has welcomed the transfer of enforcement powers to local councils and Brian Wilson said he hoped the new system will be “much more democratic”.

A spokesman for NILGA said the system must be “fit for purpose” and funding must be in place “to support the efficient transfer and the delivery of a locally focused planning service”.

Following a number of high-profile planning controversies, Environment Minister Edwin Poots has outlined his proposals for a reformed, efficient and streamlined planning sector that will contribute to the economic recovery. agendaNi reports.

The planning system needs to be capable of meeting the needs of investors, therefore it must be “flexible, predictable and prompt,” according to Environment Minister Edwin Poots.

Speaking at an agendaNi ‘planning and the economy’ seminar, Poots pointed out that the Executive is “still fully engaged in attracting overseas investment, and stimulating the internal market” and that a reformed planning sector must be able to make “a fundamental contribution” to the region by attracting inward investment, stimulating confidence in business and meeting the needs of the community at large.

“A key issue here is achieving the balance between investment, sustainability and preservation,” Poots told delegates. “In addition to facilitating economic development, the planning system also has to be able to protect our countryside, and ensure generations to come can enjoy our natural environment,” he added.

Sustainable reform

Economic recovery will be “slow and arduous” therefore planning must be sustainable. For example, the Northern Ireland Marine Bill would create an effective marine planning system and would “help support economic recovery through the development of new scientific knowledge … in energy sources such as wind, wave and power.”

Although the Bill will not favour any particular interest, it will provide “real economic opportunities”, he contended.

The DoE is working on the creation of two new planning policy statements. PPS4 will promote sustainable economic growth within urban and rural areas. It is currently being considered by the Executive. In addition, PPS24 will decide the weight to be accorded to the economic aspects of development proposals in the making of planning decisions and will be taken to the Executive “at the earliest opportunity,” Poots said.

The Minister stated his intention to encourage everyone involved in planning to “play their part” because he feels frustrated “when some use the system for their own private ends, and not for the greater good of Northern Ireland.”

Progress

Two strategic project teams were introduced to the Planning Service in 2007 to handle large scale investment planning proposals. These teams have sped up decisions by bringing together experts for a pre-application discussion on applications that are set to be of social or economic significance to Northern Ireland.

The Minister noted: “As a result of these more immediate reforms, within the last two years some 90 strategic applications have been processed, amounting to planning approvals representing investment well in excess of £2 billion, plus the associated construction jobs and post-development job creation.”

He added: “In addition to these major strategic applications, since April 2009, a further 34 economically significant applications have also been processed, the majority of which were within six months, including the likes of Bombardier, Randox Laboratories and a number of developments in the Titanic Quarter.”

Another advance has been the streamlined council consultation scheme which operates across all 26 councils, allowing approvals on non-contentious planning applications to be issued by the divisional planning manager without formally bringing them to the planning committee. By the end of the year this scheme will have been extended to a wider range of applications.

“This has been an outstanding success [because] 50 per cent of all applications are being processed and approved on average in just eight weeks,” the Minister reflects. And, the faster planning decisions are having a significant impact on the SME sector. “This is the standard of service that I like to see.”

“Northern Ireland has to be open for business, we need to send out the right messages, and we need to deliver,” the Minister emphasised.

“I am fully committed to securing a modern efficient planning system designed to meet today’s needs and those in the future. For my part, I will bring through the Assembly changes to the planning system, which I trust will meet the needs of all – in particular, the economic benefits that Northern Ireland seeks and deserves.”

Following his secondary education he travelled to the UK to attend Loughbrough University, where he completed both bachelor and masters degrees in chemical engineering. During his career he has worked in the coal, electrical carbon, chemical, steel and renewable energy industries. Before joining Rose Energy, he was Operations Director and Business Development Director for Energy Power Resources (EPR) based in Norfolk.

How did you get started in business?

I joined the UK’s National Coal Board as part of their trainee management programme, and for two years I travelled from one end of the country to the other, gaining exposure to all aspects of their operations and the entire business. At the time the coal industry was going through significant changes as it adapted to the new business realities of the 80s. It was an excellent learning ground, which certainly taught me the need for industry and business to adapt in order to compete in a very challenging environment.

What has been the most challenging part of running energy- from-waste plants?

Energy-from-waste plants are run by a small number of highly skilled and dedicated individuals. Their task is to provide electrical power to clients who are miles away, unaware of the complex logistical infrastructure that allows electricity to reach their homes and places of work.

In common with other services to the community, like hospitals and the police, power stations need to operate for 24 hours every day of the year. That requires a team that works together, planning ahead so that all eventualities are planned for and considered in advance. Forming such a team, coaching every individual, encouraging their development and balancing their skills and aspirations is the most challenging task we are faced with as managers.

What is the most satisfying aspect?

Being involved with major projects from the outset brings you into contact with hundreds of people, some of whom can have very negative views of our proposals. As the project progresses over months and years, opinions change and business and communities recognise the value in working together. Becoming a valuable member of the community always remains our aim, and to achieve it is the most satisfying aspect of our business.

How do you find doing business in Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland is going through one of the most exciting times in its history. The creation of the Northern Ireland Executive and its Assembly has opened up not only a new chapter in political life but has given the opportunity to all individuals and industry to develop in the security of a new political consensus. I come from a small country not dissimilar to Northern Ireland which had to adapt very quickly to compete worldwide.

Fifty years ago Chilean wine was scarcely known outside the country. Today there is no restaurant in the world that does not offer one or two different brands. Northern Ireland has a very strong agri-food industry, and in supporting it through Rose Energy, it can also place itself at the forefront of the renewable energy sector. I believe this project has an important role to play in helping Northern Ireland to develop a more secure energy future, and I find it exciting to be part of that.

In what way do you think the local planning system can be improved?

Like any other developer, I would like to see a much faster and efficient system that would allow decisions to be taken promptly. When I speak about the planning system I am referring not only to the Planning Service, but also to all other governmental departments, institutions and individuals that act as consultees. A more efficient system would enable enterprise to flourish whilst ensuring that applications are thoroughly reviewed in a timely manner. Northern Ireland needs to urgently grow its private sector and our public sector needs to speed up its operations to facilitate this.

What do you do in your spare time?

I enjoy travelling and photography. Coming from one corner of the world has inspired me to visit all other corners. Human activity is fascinating, and to see and observe how other individuals very similar to us have found alternative ways of organising themselves and finding different solutions to their problems is certainly a never-ending story. I also like reading contemporary novels and the odd biography. In terms of sport, I watch a bit of football and Formula One motor racing. Perhaps now I should add some rugby and Gaelic football to complete my introduction to Northern Ireland.

What do you see as the key challenges for the sector?

Tom Gillen

The immediate challenge is cost with customers focusing on price. There’s a strong desire for a more carbon-efficient energy supply. Security of supply is always a potential issue but there’s enough generation at the moment for demand. The large amount of renewables coming on line is also a key challenge.

Gary O’Callaghan

All of our customers are telling us that cost is the key issue. Security of supply doesn’t necessarily pose a problem today but we’ve seen incidences in the past where we’ve questioned the security of supply.

The CO2 agenda is obviously on everybody’s lips. For me it’s trying to match the cost issue with the speed issue. I think we do things far too slowly.

Tanya Wishart

Costs to customers, security of supply and sustainability. There are the issues around the integration of the wholesale energy markets, going forward with the European agenda, and also the impact of the additional intermittent-type renewables and the future grid development.

Michael Harper

We need a longer term perspective as energy projects take many years to come on stream. In this context, security of supply for us is the main issue and this is about what’s going to secure competitiveness in the very long term. This will mean transitioning to a low or a no carbon economy. If you try to preserve the status quo, you ultimately end up with a less competitive, less secure energy system.

Robin McCormick

There are a lot of decisions that need to be made. There is a 40 per cent renewables target in the South. There will be a 40 per cent renewables target in the North. But what are the next decisions? That will determine the rate of delivery. We’ve a very slow delivery of infrastructure at the moment and this is a key enable of renewables.

What are the barriers to delivery? Is the energy infrastructure inevitable?

Robin McCormick

There’s an obvious need for transmission infrastructure. Having achieved the

40 per cent, the next issue is whether there is a bigger picture we should be looking at and how quickly we should be looking at it e.g. offshore networks developing into a super-grid or how markets integrate to deliver maximum flexibility.

Gary O’Callaghan

If there was no objection to people paying more for their electricity, there would be a less complex process to develop our grids. Similarly, longer term investments such as ocean energy would be able to attract government supports facilitating a better ‘concept-to-value chain’.

At present there is a strong will in government to make these investments, but they simply do not have the money. In some cases, particularly in marine or ocean energy, the investment that’s required there is significant but the potential that’s there is enormous.

When it comes to government investment and the potential risks and returns, I don’t think people are being presented with the full argument. What are oil and gas going to cost in six years’ time? What happens if there are interruptions in supply? What’s the impact of that on industry or the economy, health or welfare?

We need to look forward 10 or 15 years into the future and decide how we want the energy sector to develop, and set this as our vision for the future. We need to examine all the risks and benefits and formulate a plan on how to get there. With this comprehensive vision of the future, we will be able to educate people and bring them along as they will see the bigger picture benefits in the long term.

Tanya Wishart

The Executive and other stakeholders need to take a long-term view about the investment required to meet the CO2 targets. There aren’t any easy solutions to meeting these targets and the issues go beyond the cost of the network development.

Michael Harper

Running up to 2008 with the increasing oil prices, everyone here will know the pressure that was being put on the economy, and on the politicians to do something about it. If that’s repeated with a bigger impact, more than $150 per barrel, there will be a significant headache for the economy. I don’t think “Let some other part of the UK make the changes, we’ll carry on as we are” is a sustainable approach.

Tanya Wishart

The push to increase wind on the island of Ireland and the targets for 2020 could actually lead to increases in CO2 emissions above the level that would be achieved at a slightly lower percentage of wind because of the impact on existing power stations and cycling (that is the carbon emissions that result during the start up and shut down of conventional generation).

I think in Northern Ireland what you see more and more are people actually opposing developments that they see directly impacting the quality of their life. In other locations, where there’s government sign-on, there’s more of a willingness at a high level of government to push these things forward.

Robin McCormick

If DETI has set out its stall on a 40 per cent target then government has got to bind itself around that. There is an increasing need for buy-in for delivery.

There’s a broad consensus that we need to move in this direction. And that means that we need infrastructure and we need to invest. It’s not a colossal amount of money if it is achieved by overhead lines. It could be much more significant if it was underground.

There’s a certain amount of infrastructure development that needs to be done, no matter what scenario you pick. Government needs to make up its mind about what it wants and everybody else needs to say that’s what they want as well.

Tanya Wishart

The target is for a percentage of renewables. The impact on carbon is something different. We will do everything we can to facilitate the network required to meet those targets. We don’t want to be giving someone an open chequebook, however, by going forward without a firm plan and cost/benefit analysis.

How’s the market operating?

Tom Gillen

On a day-to-day basis, it’s working very well. In terms of investment, renewable generation is being constructed on the back of government support. It is difficult to see any thermal plant being built as the market price does not support it. Given the focus on cost, the regulators are unlikely incentivise thermal plant construction.

Tanya Wishart

One of the areas for development of the market is the medium-term review where we’re looking at the capacity payment mechanism and trying to facilitate what we believe is necessary to incentivise the optimum mix of generation. The other area is market integration because there’s no point in us going along a path to make changes, and to then have to make additional changes to facilitate market integration with other markets in Europe.

Michael Harper

The main logjam is the grid. There is a need to build the infrastructure to accommodate the new capacity, and also for accommodating large amounts of marine renewables off the east coast. The Executive’s target of 40 per cent and the separate marine renewables target are exactly right for 2020 but you also need to think where to go beyond that.

Robin McCormick

The electricity market was designed in the context of the issues that people had with the previous arrangements, both North and South. SEM has probably ticked all the boxes. It works very well for an island system because you know what you’re dealing with a day ahead.

There’s a big need to start thinking about what we’re going to be like post-2012 with the interconnector with Wales. We’re a small electricity market – like Greater Manchester in the context of GB – and we’re going to have more and more renewables and intermittent generation.

How are we going to manage the flows that will result from that? Whether we get into a regional market that serves everybody or tinker with the one that we have, we need to recognise that the market needs to develop.

Tom Gillen

Well, the push in Europe is to combine markets and regionalise them and there are groups of TSOs getting together to better manage the flows across the systems. That just means if there is extra wind power here that can be exported, you need to be able to export it into Great Britain and onwards. It’s all about maximising utilisation. It seems not a great idea to bundle up a lot of wind onto a small system and then have to turn it off.

What are your views on smart grids and the future of electricity networks?

Gary O’Callaghan

I would like to put smart grid in the context of my 10-year vision for the future. I think smart grid has a very significant role to play. I was one of the lucky ones to be involved in the ICT industry back in the 80s when it revolutionized. The industry moved from the concept of a simple rotary dial telephone in the 1980s to today where we have global IP-based internet audio-visual communications. I think the energy world will go through the same transition over the next 10 years.

Tanya Wishart

Customers don’t want data, they want solutions and they want products to be sold to them and suppliers to create a final package. I would say the best place for all of that is in a commercial-type environment rather than a regulatory-type environment. I see, as a regulator, our concern is to ensure that the information within the regulated companies is made available to allow commercial development of a lot of these different proposals that you suggest might happen.

I agree with you a lot could be of benefit and could happen and definitely the ability is there to make it happen. On the other side of the coin the concern is this idea of ‘big brother is watching you’ and the amount of access that people then are giving to their daily lives and their daily routines. Therefore there has to be a certain element of choice that people will want because of the benefit that comes to them rather than them say they were pushed in a certain direction through a regulated environment.

Robin McCormick

Smart meters, smart phones, smart networks, smart grids, all sounds almost too good to be true and I think quite possibly it is. Take a smart meter at the very lowest level and that tells somebody how much the electricity that they are using costs. You are giving them the opportunity to change their behaviour.

That’s one area we haven’t actually proven particularly well. There’s some evidence that some people change, maybe the gadget geeks in society see there’s an opportunity at home where somebody says: “Listen, I can save you x per cent if you allow me to control your fridge, your water heating and your electric blanket.” Then it is down to how it is optimised. It becomes increasingly more complex and the need for a standard communication protocol and standard equipment is the only way that it can generate the scale that is necessary for it to work efficiently.

If the wind is blowing, you don’t actually want people to turn off their water heating at 5 o’clock at night.

Gary O’Callaghan

There are many concepts being discussed today. Some will come to pass, but many will never happen. I don’t know, for example, if I believe that distributed generation will get a lot of traction in this country. Some people will say smart grid will be one of these concepts which will never get off the ground but again, it is worthwhile looking at trends from the 1980s.

Mobile phone companies were forecasting mobile phone penetration rates of between 40 and 45 per cent on the island of Ireland. The penetration eventually went up to 105 percent penetration. They just completely under-estimated how quickly it would catch on and how much people would use them. If smart grid applications remain complex, then the concept of only being used by ‘geeks’ will no doubt apply. The smart in smart grid, smart phone and smart meter is about ‘de-geeking’ them and making them more user-friendly and accessible by the man or woman on the street.

It isn’t just data. It is common user interfaces whether it is at home, in the car or on the mobile device, which are easy to use so that literally your phone gives you a choice: Do you want to switch on your heating, switch off your fridge, charge your car, sell your car battery energy etc? There is potential for a huge number of user-friendly applications to be developed to make all of this work seamlessly.

Tom Gillen

The problem is that for the customer, it is price-driven. We have developed a number of sophisticated products that help customers manage usage and reduce costs. These services do not, however, attract a premium. Indeed many customers take them as a given from their supplier. This should be an important learning point for those designing smart grids. Customers will want these improvements without increasing their costs.

Michael Harper

When we are at the penetration levels of wind energy and other intermittent sources of energy that can be brought on, the challenge will not be daily imbalances. It’s going to be the seasonal imbalances. Smart metering and smart grids will not help that.

Robin McCormick

It is unlikely that people will change their behaviours unless there is a significant increase in prices – but we need to have invested in the systems in advance.

Tanya Wishart

I would point out that fuel poverty levels currently estimate that 40-50 per cent of households are in fuel poverty. I would suggest that people in that position are already feeling that pain and if they felt they had options available to them or information to help them make informed choices, they would make those sorts of decisions.

What is the one big issue government or the industry needs to look at?

Robin McCormick

I suppose, from a system operator’s perspective, obviously the delivery of great infrastructure is the issue for us because it’s really what is required to enable a lot of these other initiatives we’re talking about. It is required if we are going to reduce our emissions and if we are going to have the levels of renewable integration that we’re targeting.

Tom Gillen

Long-term, we need infrastructure that meets the carbon reduction targets set by government.

Gary O’Callaghan

The biggest issue for me is the lack of long-term vision. It may only be 10 years down the road but we need to decide what we’re going to look like and then try to sell that story to the man on the street. There are significant benefits for everybody, maybe short-term pain but in the medium and long term there could be benefits and I think that if the vision is set out and it becomes common knowledge and common language and a common currency, then I think people will buy it.

Tanya Wishart

Education, people understanding and realising decisions and the overall impact, rather than looking at the small impact on making one decision with which they are not comfortable.

Michael Harper

I think part of the debate is about recognising that Northern Ireland is only a small player in a global market for energy. There is a very rapidly increasing demand in Asia for energy, there are major global constraints emerging in terms of easily accessible oil and gas resources and there are increasing constraints from the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

It therefore seems to me that we have to be more honest about the extent to which, in Northern Ireland, we can actually maintain the accepted levels of electricity services at prices that we currently consider affordable. That has to be a healthy debate, however unpalatable it may be for politicians, because the sooner we recognise that we cannot continue with ’business as ususal’ expectations at the same price, the sooner we are able to start thinking about what we need to do.

Are there any benefits of using electric vehicles?

Gary O’Callaghan

There is evidence of concrete demonstrations of eV projects both north and south. However, at present, the only progress is the appearance of charging posts at strategically selected locations. In terms of concrete demonstration projects, these are still at an early stage of development but the potential is enormous.

eV can really drive our renewable energy sector. If we have got a capacity on the island for 7,000 megawatts of onshore wind and another 3,000 megawatts of offshore plus up to 500 megawatts in the ocean – only the tip of the iceberg, there are potentially enormous amounts more.

By changing all of the vehicles including public transport to electric over a period of time, you’re going to need all of those renewable megawatts but you’re also going to need smart systems to manage transmission, distribution and demand.

The Participants

Gary O’Callaghan

Gary O’Callaghan is Head of Energy Sector with Siemens in Ireland. He has operational responsibility for renewable and fossil power generation, energy services, power transmission and power distribution. He joined the company in 1992. He transferred to power transmission and distribution in 2004 and subsequently took over responsibility for the full energy portfolio at Siemens Ltd.

Tom Gillen

Tom Gillen was appointed during 2009 as Chief Operating Officer for Viridian Power and Energy, the Viridian Group’s integrated generation and supply business which includes Huntstown and Eco Wind Power and energia. He joined Viridian in 2000 and became Managing Director of energia in June 2008.

Michael Harper

Michael Harper has worked in renewable energy policy, advocacy and project implementation covering different technologies and disciplines in both the private and charity sectors. He is Managing Director of B9 Energy Offshore Developments Ltd and is the project leader for THETIS Energy Ltd, which is aiming to develop a 100-200MW marine tidal project off the north-east coast of Northern Ireland.

Robin McCormick

Robin McCormick is the General Manager and a Director of SONI Ltd. SONI has a licence to operate the Northern Ireland transmission system and is also licensed as market operator. Both of these roles now require close co-operation with EirGrid. In March 2009, SONI Ltd became part of the EirGrid Group. Robin has also held a number of senior positions in NIE including Transmission Planning Manager and Regional Customer Services Manager.

Tanya Wishart

Tanya Wishart is a utility regulator in Northern Ireland and is responsible for the regulation of the electricity networks and supply businesses in the province. The generation wholesale market operates on an all-island basis and there is a Single Electricity Market Committee to regulate this market. As a member of the Oversights Committee, Tanya takes responsibility for the operational aspects of the market.