Nick O’Neill
Nick is Secretary of PIPCo RSG CLG with 23 years’ experience as research manager of the Irish Petroleum Infrastructure Programme (PIP), a joint government/oil industry research programme. He obtained a degree in Geology from Trinity College Dublin in 1977, a Masters in Petroleum Geology from University College Dublin in 1986 and a Diploma in Strategy and Innovation from University College Cork in 2011. Nick is currently Project Manager of PIP, where he recently worked with the industry membership to establish a new 5 year strategy addressing Irelands’ energy transition. The Irish Shelf Petroleum Studies Group within PIP will cease to function in 2021 because it is considered not to be aligned with the current programme for government. Within PIP Nick has a track record of leveraging additional research funding from SFI, IRC, MI Shiptime Programme, EC H2020, and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
James White
James has 17 years’ experience as a geophysicist and asset manager in the international energy business. He has led numerous energy projects ranging from onshore seismic acquisition surveys to offshore deepwater drilling campaigns and renewable solar and wind projects. He has analysed a variety of geological and geophysical datasets to mitigate against unexpected hazards and enhance the understanding of the subsurface. James has a track record of building relationships, trust and engaging with senior stakeholders alongside a collaborative approach when working cross functionally. In 2020 James founded Illmatic energy with a focus on developing projects geared towards the energy transition. He has recently completed a report entitled ‘Review of the Irish Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Sector’s data and information requirements in the context of the INFOMAR Seabed mapping programme’ for the Department of Environment, Climate & Communications (DECC), the results of which are published: https://www.infomar.ie/rd-and-education/publications/illmatic-energy-infomar-ore-review-report.
Keith Byrne
Keith is a senior energy executive with over 20 years’ experience in geoscience and project management. Critical to this project, he spent 14 years managing complex geoscience and environmental offshore operations around Ireland. He was responsible for analysing and integrating multiple datasets to provide interpretations on the sub-surface. Data from these projects was used in the assessment of site risks, offshore pipelines, foundation assessment and seabed environmental conditions. Keith was an active participant in the PIP management committee, the Irish Offshore Operators Association and the SFI funded iCRAG research centre. Through these committees he provided corporate oversight, fiscal responsibility, procurement, engineering design and scale model testing. Keith has a strong interest in HSEQ standards and compliance, and his current scientific interests include anthropogenic noise in the marine environment and its environmental impacts.
Aldona Binchy
Aldona obtained a degree in environmental engineering in 2002 and a Lead Environmental Auditor (ISO 14001:2015) qualification from IEMA in 2017. She has over 15 year’s commercial experience in the environmental sector for both public and private sector clients. Aldona has carried out environmental assessments for offshore seismic and offshore oil & gas drilling operations in the Celtic Sea and West of Ireland. Aldona is an experienced EIA and environmental permitting practitioner who can bring clear direction to environmental permitting work. Her experience in this regard includes a wide range of complex commissions including projects in the mining and minerals, infrastructure, energy and renewable energy sectors. Projects include environmental audits and environmental impact assessments, IED, IPC permit applications, environmental management systems design, environmental noise surveys and air quality assessments, environmental baseline surveys, environmental risk assessments (including marine) and marine biological sampling. She has also been responsible for dealing with environmental implications of planning applications/ permissions for the extractive industries sector.
Alice Mitchinson
Alice has a Masters in GIS from Technology University Dublin. She specialises in database management. Alice designed and implemented a spatial database and viewing platform for offshore geological data which she created using open-source software. Alice is a project coordinator with 4 years of experience providing administrative support to the Petroleum Infrastructure Programme. Alice provided support in activities such as scheduling technical committee meetings, issuing minutes of proceedings, online conference management, tender preparations, tender assessments, ensuring compliance with EU procurement rules, research group invoicing and correspondence. In addition, Alice is an IT and GIS specialist providing vital skills to the management and dissemination of data.
Matt Carolan
Matt is Technical Director of SLR with over 35 years’ offshore engineering experience. He has extensive experience in technical and commercial evaluations of oil and gas industry assets as well as a practical approach to problem solving and implementing innovative solutions to complex surface and subsurface engineering problems. Matt has particular expertise in techno-economic feasibility studies of subsurface assets and is suited to evaluating the feasibility of hydrogen storage potential identified by the project.
Miriam Golden
Miriam is an administrator of the Petroleum Infrastructure Programme (which will cease operations Q2 2021). She has coordinated research projects for over 5 years. In particular, Miriam ensures compliance in reporting requirements of funded research such as stage gate reporting, assisting in ensuring peer review and journal publications, management of releasing research funds and ensuring research objectives, targets and goals are achieved. Miriam has worked with over 10 simultaneous multidisciplinary research projects. She is proficient in report writing, scheduling, managing and troubleshooting online meetings using PIP’s Go2Meeting online conferencing facility.