Irish wind energy trailblazer Eddie O'Connor passes away

Irish wind energy pioneer and entrepreneur Eddie O’Connor has passed away at the age of 76.

The renowned renewables advocate started his career in the state-owned power company, Electricity Supply Board of Ireland, later climbing the ranks to become the chief executive officer at energy and environmental service semi-state company Bord na Mona.

During his tenure at Bord na Mona, O'Connor was involved in the establishment of Ireland's first wind farm in Bellacorick, County Mayo, which is operational to this day.

O'Connor founded energy supplier Airtricity in 1997 and stayed there as chief executive until January 2008. His leadership saw the realisation of Ireland's inaugural offshore wind farm in 2004 under the Airtricity banner.

Airtricity North America was sold to E.on and the remainder of the business was acquired by SSE plc in 2008. That year O’Connor went on to establish Mainstream Renewable Power, a wind and solar energy developer with operations across five continents.

The next venture for the serial entrepreneur was SuperNode Ltd, which O’Connor founded in 2018 alongside Mainstream, championing the idea of a pan-European electricity supergrid.

Paying tribute to O’Connor’s relentless pursuit of sustainable energy solutions, SuperNode CEO, John Fitzgerald, said:

“Calling Eddie an entrepreneur does not quite suffice, he was a swashbuckling pioneer and an irrepressible visionary, who inspired others to believe that change could happen and gave them confidence that they could make it happen.”

Mainstream issued a statement on Monday, calling O’Connor “a true visionary” and a “fearless pioneer” who "inspired generations to think differently; to think of a planet electrified by renewable energy".

“We will honour Eddie’s legacy by continuing what he started here at Mainstream with his unique sense of purpose, his unwavering passion and his boundless energy,” the statement said.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, added: “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”.

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