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Minister Ossian Smyth TD
Ossian Smyth is the Green Party TD for Dún Laoghaire. He is Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment, and at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy. |
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Gert-Jan Nabuurs
Professor at Wageningen University Gert-Jan Nabuurs is professor of European Forest Resources at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He is also senior researcher at Wageningen Environmental Research (WUR). His background is in European scale forest resource analysis under climate change and changing forest management. He started and co-develops EFISCEN-space, a high resolution European forest resource model based on 300,000 NFI plots. Applications are in wood availability, effects of forest management, climate change impacts, biodiversity and CO2 sequestration. He was CLA of the Agriculture and Forestry chapter in the IPCC 6AR. |
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Brendan Kelly
Head of Commercial at Bord na Móna Renewable Energy Brendan 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, green yydrogen, 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 California. Brendan 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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Siobhán O’Halloran
Future Networks Manager Gas Networks Ireland Siobhán O’Halloran is the Future Networks Manager at Gas Networks Ireland. Siobhán leads the network forecasting and planning function within the business, which assesses the current and future demand for gas and sources of supply on Ireland’s gas transmission and distribution systems, as well as the implications of incorporating renewable gases such as biomethane and hydrogen. Siobhán is a graduate of UCC and joined Gas Networks Ireland in 2014 where she has held roles in the Revenue Reporting, Network Planning and Future Networks areas. |
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Dearbhla Stapleton
Head of Decarbonised Heat and System Supports, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Dearbhla Stapleton is dedicated to decarbonizing heat across every sector of society. A Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Dearbhla has over 25 years’ experience in engineering, design and construction across a broad range of sectors including infrastructure, industry and energy. In her current role, she is responsible for SEAI’s Decarbonised Heat and Bioenergy research programmes along with the newly established District Heating Centre of Excellence. She also represented SEAI on the government’s Industrial Heat Decarbonisation working group. Previously she was SEAI’s Industry Programme Manager, responsible for managing SEAI’s Large Industry Energy Network, a collaborative network of approximately 200 of Ireland’s largest energy users. Dearbhla is passionate about driving Ireland’s energy revolution, particularly through heat decarbonisation. |
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Tom Egan
Renewable Energy Operations Manager, Bord na Móna Click Tom Egan is a member of Bord na Móna’s senior executive team with specific responsibility for Renewable Energy Operations. He also sits on the Board of a number of subsidiary companies. Tom has over 25 years’ experience in the global electricity sector in senior management positions with Bord na Móna, EOn and GE. Before joining Bord na Móna, Tom was a member of Eon Management Team which managed a portfolio of CHP Plants in the UK and Ireland. Prior to that he worked with GE Power Systems, as a Project Manager delivering large scale capital projects internationally in North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Tom holds a degree in Engineering from DIT Bolton St., and holds a Graduate Diploma in Business Management from DCU Executive Business School. |
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Andrea Lennon
Principal Officer at the Department of Transport Andrea Lennon has responsibility for the Climate Adaptation, Research and Energy Division. Andrea‘s work and interaction with the bioenergy sector is through the implementation of the Department’s Renewable Transport Fuels Policy. |
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David Kelly
Director of Customer and Business Development, Gas Networks Ireland David is Customer and Business Development at Gas Networks Ireland. David is responsible for Gas Networks Ireland’s ambition to replace natural gas with renewable gases, such as biomethane and hydrogen, to substantially reduce the country’s carbon emissions while complementing intermittent renewable electricity and ensuring a secure energy supply. David has over twenty years of executive-level experience having worked extensively in both the private and public sectors throughout his career. Prior to being appointed to his current role, David was the Group Head of Customer Operations and Public Affairs for Ervia. |
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Karen Doyle
Head of Business Development Gas Networks Ireland Karen is the Head of Business Development at Gas Networks Ireland. Karen is responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s renewable gas programmes to replace natural gas with renewable gases, such as biomethane and hydrogen, complementing intermittent renewable electricity and supporting Ireland’s journey to a cleaner energy future. Karen has worked in the energy sector for over 18 years, having previously been Head of Energy and Infrastructure at Ulster Bank where she structured and delivered a number of landmark projects across the sector, including onshore wind (Ireland & UK), offshore development projects in UK, CCGT, biomass and waste to energy projects together with a number of portfolios of windfarm assets for both utility and fund clients. Karen has also lectured on Sustainable Energy Finance at DCU and is a Board Member of Wind Energy Ireland. She holds an MBS in Financial Services from UCD Smurfit Business School and a BComm International (German) from UCD. |
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Redmond McEvoy
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Redmond is the bioenergy policy lead in DAFM focusing on energy efficiency, deployment of renewable technologies at farm level, and the supply of bioenergy feedstocks as key agricultural contributions to the energy transition. Redmond has worked on a number of bioenergy policy projects including the National Biomethane Strategy. |
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Jean-Marc Jossart
Secretary General at Bioenergy Europe Jean-Marc Jossart started his career in the field of bioenergy in 1992 at the University of Louvain, Belgium. Jean-Marc is an Agronomic Engineer and since 1997, he has held the position of Secretary General of Bioenergy Europe. Founded in 1990, Bioenergy Europe is a non-profit, Brussels-based international organisation bringing together more than 40 Associations and 90 companies, as well as academia and research institutes from across Europe representing the interests of the bioenergy sector. |
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Niamh Hamill,
Department of the Energy, Climate and Communications (DECC) Niamh is an Assistant Principal Officer in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Assigned to the Heat Delivery Unit, Niamh is overseeing the development of the Renewable Heat Obligation and Implementation of the National Biomethane Strategy. |
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Jonathan McFerran
Deputy Director | Green Growth Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs With over 30 years’ experience within the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Jonathan is currently DAERA’s Green Growth Deputy Director and leads on work around Anaerobic Digestion and the sustainable utilisation of livestock slurry project. He will be presenting on Northern Ireland's biomethane journey within the agriculture policy landscape. |
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Conor Mulvihill
Director of Dairy Industry Ireland Coming from a farming background in the mid-west of Ireland Conor achieved degrees in History & Politics as well as a Masters in European Integration. He has worked as a political advisor in the Irish Houses of Parliament (Oireachtas) before taking up the role as head of EU affairs for the Irish Cooperative Organisation Society in Brussels, where he focused on dairy policy. Conor currently is a board member of the European Dairy Association and Specialised Nutrition Europe. At home he sits on the executive committee of Food Drink Ireland. Dairy Industry Ireland represents primary and secondary dairy manufacturers including the specialist nutrition sector in Ireland and is affiliated to Ibec, Ireland’s business umbrella body. |
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Paddy Phelan
CEO, South East Energy Agency IrBEA President Paddy is CEO at South East Energy Agency, President of the Irish Bioenergy Association, Executive Committee of the Irish Wind Farmers Association, and Committee Member of European Biogas Association. Paddy manages a multi-disciplinary team at the South East Energy Agency, a not for profit, local acting, regional energy agency. Paddy has significant experience across all areas of energy, in energy efficiency, energy management and land based renewable/clean technologies. He has significant experience in the built environment retrofit process with emphasis on social housing retrofit since 2012 with Carlow, Kilkenny & Wexford Social housing providers in Local Authority and Housing Association sites. |
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Giulia Cancian
Secretary General, European Biogas Association Giulia Cancian is the Secretary General at the European Biogas Association (EBA). Before joining the EBA in 2022, Giulia led Bioenergy Europe’s advocacy strategy, coordinated the delivery of policy reports, and the organization of several working groups. She gained experience in sustainability, energy and transport working with the biodiesel, non-ferrous metals and hydropower European trade Associations in Brussels. Giulia holds an MA in International Relation from the University of Rome and an MSc in European Affairs from the Free University of Brussels. |
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Tom Walsh
CEO, Renetech Tom Walsh is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Renetech, with offices in Ireland and Sweden. He has been working in the renewable energy sector for over 18 years and being involved in over 50 projects in the areas of bioenergy, waste to biofuel, hydro and solar. Tom has been involved as a consultant on these projects from a pre-feasibility phase to implementation in a range of locations including Ireland, Sweden, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire, among others. Tom was involved in the early days at IrBEA, acting as Secretary for the Association for many years. |
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Cathal Fitzgerald
Arigna Group Cathal is an entrepreneur and investor in the finance and sustainability sectors. He holds an MBA from Boston College and is a CFA charterholder. As chairman of Arigna Group, he is responsible for overseeing the transition from a fossil fuel producer to biochar. Arigna commissioned two 35k metric tonne biochar machines in 2023 making it one of the largest operating biochar producers in the world. |
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Dr John Walsh
Emerging Technology and R&D Manager, ESB Group John is responsible for leading ESB’s Group strategy for the adoption and commercialisation of emerging energy technologies to meet the evolving needs of customers and to grow new business in support of ESB’s Net Zero by 2040 Strategy. With over 25 years' experience, he has held a range of operational, engineering, commercial and senior management roles across the energy industry including in retail electricity supply, energy services, electric mobility, sustainability, health safety and wellbeing and innovation. |
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Ian McCracken
Energy Development Director, Balcas Energy With over 30 years of experience in off-grid energy solutions, Ian McCracken has been working for many years in the sector including seven years working across Asia and Europe. He joined Balcas in 2014 as the Director of Business Development for its Energy division. Balcas specializes in producing sawn timber, and since 2005, it has harnessed sawmill residues to generate heat, electricity and wood pellets. Under Ian's leadership, Balcas Energy is expanding its reach into industrial-scale heat users, including the milk powder and pharmaceutical sectors, playing a key role in Ireland’s decarbonisation efforts. |
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Thomas Flynn
Founder, Bioagrigas Thomas Flynn began his career in 1980, working in the family agribusiness, which expanded into farm machinery and an animal feed milling enterprise. In the early 1990s, he diversified further by launching a fuel business, providing both agricultural fuels and home heating solutions. Thomas has been actively involved in renewable energy initiatives. He successfully obtained approval for a one-megawatt anaerobic digestion plant to generate electricity and is currently upgrading the project to a much larger facility capable of supplying biomethane directly into the gas grid. In 2012, he planted 40 acres of willow to supply biomass to Edenderry Power. He also partnered with another company to distribute willow rods. In 2015, he established a Renewable Energy Park and sought planning permission for a 7-megawatt solar farm, which is now in the development phase. Thomas has expanded his renewable energy ventures by collaborating with Tria Energy, a UK-based company which imports Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), and distributes it to energy users in Ireland. Thomas is also on the IrBEA Board member. |
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Joseph Spollen
Biomass Manager at Bord na Móna Joseph manages the team responsible for the sourcing and delivery of biomass material for the Edenderry Power Plant. Joseph holds a BAgrSc from University College Dublin and an MSc from TU Dublin. He has also spent a number of years working in the Renewable Energy sector in the UK and Europe prior to his current role with Bord na Móna. |
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Maurice Ryan
Green Belt and IrBEA Vice President Maurice Ryan is the Director of Business Development for Green Belt, Ireland’s largest private forestry management group. Green Belt operates a 4 year management contract specifically designed for farmers and landowners who wish to plant a new forest. |
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Stephen McCormack
Project Executive, IrBEA Stephen holds a bachelor’s degree in Energy, Sustainability and the Environmental Science from IT Sligo and a postgraduate in Environmental Sustainability from UCD. Stephen's focus in IrBEA includes the delivery of several Interreg NW Europe projects. Following the successful completion of the fore-runner projects THREE C and RE-DIRECT which explored the development of biochar based circular carbon economies, Stephen is now working on the Interreg project CASCADE - Circular Conversion Cascades to Transform Residual Biomass to Carbon Products, a project which sees County Donegal chosen as a pilot region. Prior to joining IrBEA, he worked for a number of years with the Regional Development team at the Western Development Commission. |
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Noel Gavigan
Technical Executive, IrBEA Noel Gavigan is the Technical Executive for IrBEA since 2010, his main role is project delivery, technical backup for members, and management of the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance (WFQA) Scheme. Noel has worked centrally on some of IrBEA’s main projects including the Biomass Trade Centres, Biogas3, Digestate Standards, Midlands Bioenergy Development Project and Small-scale Biogas Demonstration EIP Project. Noel will be the MC at this event. |
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Seán Finan
CEO, IrBEA 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. Prior to joining IrBEA, Seán worked in the construction sector and held the role of 35th National President of Macra na Feirme, the young farmers representative organisation, from 2015 – 2017. Seán leads IrBEA and its members to 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 renewable energy roadmap. |
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