Renewable energy entrepreneur Eddie O’Connor has died after a brief illness. He was 76.
O’Connor, a former Bord na Mona chief executive, founded developer Airtricity in 1997 and led the construction of the Arklow Bank offshore wind farm, still Ireland’s only offshore project.
After the company’s sale to SSE for €1.8bn in 2008, the Roscommon native set up Mainstream Renewable Power.
Speaking after his death, Irish Energy Minister Eamon Ryan: “I am truly saddened to learn of Eddie O’Connor’s passing. He was, without doubt, a true pioneer when it came to the development of wind energy, both in Ireland and across the globe.”
He added: “From his time as chief executive of Bord na Móna to his establishment of Airtricity and the subsequent creation of Mainstream Renewable Power and SuperNode, he was always several years ahead of everyone else in his thinking.
“He was one of the first, not just to understand Ireland’s enormous potential for renewable energy, but to act upon it. More recently, he has been a passionate and articulate advocate for a European ‘supergrid’, which he understood would ensure people across the continent would enjoy clean, secure energy into the future.
“There are few people who will leave behind such a positive and long-lasting legacy as him. I wish to convey my deepest sympathies to his family and friends.”
Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said:”On behalf of our members and staff I would like to express our condolences to Eddie O’Connor’s wife, Hildegard, his family and his many colleagues and friends in Ireland and around the world.
“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.
“In recent years he has pioneered the idea of a trans-European supergrid, an electricity transmission system that can be the foundation of an energy independent Europe, no longer reliant on imported fossil fuels, delivering warmer homes, cleaner air and leading the response to the global climate emergency.
“Working together to make this idea 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.”