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Nominee for Parson’s Medal 2018

Nominee: David Kiely Nominator: Conor McCarthy

David Kiely is nominated for his outstanding and exceptional contribution to the practice of engineering throughout the island of Ireland, in particular, his unique contribution to the Renewable Energy Sector. His pioneering vision dating back to the mid-nineties has played a fundamental role in the delivery of over 1,500 MW of power in Ireland and Northern Ireland, an exceptional cross border figure for power unmatched by any other engineer on the island.

Through his vision in the mid-nineties, Jennings O’Donovan, under his guidance, entered the renewable energy sector when wind energy was only beginning to develop in Ireland. This early involvement allowed the firm to grow and develop in tandem with the market. The knowledge, expertise, skill and competence which has been gained by David over the past twenty-five years has enabled the company to provide the technical services required for the complete range of activities to take a project from inception through planning, design, procurement to construction and commissioning including post construction site maintenance programmes.

Because of his vision, Jennings O’Donovan have been an established presence in the Renewable Energy Wind Farm Sector since 1998. Through his leadership, the company has to date, a portfolio of projects extending to over 1,500MW of power in Ireland and Northern Ireland and is a recognised market leader in the whole area of Wind Energy development. The economic impact of this portfolio is so extensive that it will equate, when completed, to an investment of €2.25 billion in the Wind Energy Sector. Furthermore, the portfolio will reduce Irelands carbon dioxide gas emissions by approximately

2.2million tonnes per annum and will power the equivalent of 850,000 homes. Among the numerous Clients for whom David has worked are household names such as Energia, Coillte, Brookfield, Airtricity, SSE Renewables and Facebook.

Of particular relevance, and a standout project in David’s portfolio is the new Meenadreen Wind Farm opened in June 2017 in Donegal. David, as Project Director accepted the prestigious ACEI Excellence Award in April this year for his work on the Meenadreen Wind Farm in the Civil-Large category. The judges were highly complementary of David and his team, noting in their citation:

“The Meenadreen Wind Farm is Ireland’s largest such facility and provides a critical and resilient link to the grid in the north west of Ireland. Located in an area of outstanding beauty in south east Donegal, it consists of 38 turbines, producing 98MW of electricity. Considering the farm’s density and visibility it has been designed with great sensitivity to the environment and the local community.”

Wind Farm Portfolio Engineering 1,500MW of Power

58 Projects Completed – 827.7MW

12 at Construction – 164.5MW

15 at pre-construction 275.9MW

18 in Planning – 219.5MW

Substation Portfolio

Clonee 220kV Cloghboola 110kV

Booltiagh 110kV Woodhouse 110kV

Clogher 110kV Kill Hill 110kV

Mulreavy 110kV Oweninny 110kV

Sliabh Bawn 110kV 25 No. 20 to 38kV Substations

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Apart from making a social contribution through engineering, David has also contributed to the social community in the North West. A President of Sligo Rotary, David has also been President of Sligo Chamber of Commerce and Sligo Business Person of the Year. He is currently the engineering advisor and leading member of the Atlantic Economic Corridor (AEC) Infrastructure Team seeking to reinforce the integrated corridor infrastructure and prioritise access to and use of natural assets in the AEC region which extends from Donegal in the north, through Sligo, Leitrim, South Mayo, Roscommon, Galway and on to Clare and Limerick. A past president of Engineers Ireland North West Region, winner of the Nicholas O’Dwyer medal, David has also served on the Council of Engineers Ireland.

For all of the reasons outlined above, it is with great pleasure and pride that I, Conor McCarthy, nominate David Kiely, Director of Jennings O’Donovan, to the Academy for award of the Parsons Medal 2018.

Social Contribution to Society

President Engineers Ireland NW Region

President Sligo Rotary

President Sligo Chamber

Sligo Business Person of the Year

AEC Task Force Member

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Experience

Stages and locations of David Kiely’s wind farm portfolio in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is shown below.

Jennings O'Donovan & Partners Limited T/+353 719161416 F/+353 719161080 Finisklin Business Park, Sligo, Ireland www.jodireland.com

Wind Farm Portfolio David Kiely

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Selection of Wind Farm Projects from David Kiely’s Portfolio