16 December 2019. Greenlink Interconnector Limited has announced today that it has appointed Nigel Beresford as its CEO. Mr Beresford is taking on the role from December 2019, to head up the company as it nears commercial milestones and progresses towards construction of the Greenlink interconnector. Peter Ewing has also been appointed as a consultant on finance and regulation.
Greenlink is a proposed subsea and underground electricity cable connecting the power markets of Ireland and Great Britain. The project is scheduled to begin construction in the second half of 2020 and be operational by 2023.
Nigel Beresford joins Greenlink from GE Steam Power, where he was General Manager Repair Services. He has been in the electricity industry for over 38 years, starting as an engineering apprentice with the UK’s national electricity generator (the CEGB) and going on to lead teams at a UK, Ireland and European level. He has held development, construction, operation and sales roles with CEGB, Enron, EDF and GE and managed GE’s O&M teams running power plants across Europe, including in Ireland.
Peter Ewing joins Greenlink as a consultant from Northern Ireland Electricity where he was Director of Regulation and Market Operations. He has over 20 years’ experience in electricity transmission, distribution and supply, transmission system operation and renewables and led the project financing of the Moyle Interconnector, which links the power networks of Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Shreya Malik of Partners Group, one of the two shareholders in Greenlink on behalf its clients, said;
“We are delighted to welcome Nigel as Greenlink’s CEO. As well as bringing extensive energy industry knowledge from a career devoted to the power generation sector, he also has a strong track record in harnessing the best from diverse teams to deliver complex projects.”
Nigel Beresford said;
“Greenlink is of critical importance to Ireland and the UK. It will support both countries’ decarbonisation, renewable energy and energy security objectives, while creating downward pressure on consumer bills. I am delighted to be heading up such an exciting and significant cross-border energy infrastructure project and look forward to working with Greenlink’s high calibre team to take the project forward.”
Joseph Slamm of Hudson Sustainable Investments, added;
“Good progress has been made on the project so far, with procurement for the major construction contracts currently under way. With Nigel’s leadership and Peter Ewing’s extensive experience of electricity regulation and corporate finance, we have a senior team that will drive Greenlink forward through the next set of milestones to financial close and into construction.”
ENDS
CONTACT FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Anna Stanford, Communications Consultant: +44 7961 234634 Anna.Stanford@greenlink.ie
Notes to Editors:
About Greenlink
Greenlink Interconnector Limited is owned jointly by Element Power Holdings, part of Hudson Sustainable Investment, and Partners Group on behalf of its clients. Greenlink is a proposed interconnector linking the power markets in Ireland and Great Britain. The project comprises a subsea and underground cable and associated converter stations to connect EirGrid’s Great Island transmission substation in County Wexford (Ireland) and National Grid’s Pembroke transmission substation in Pembrokeshire (Wales). It has a nominal capacity of 500MW. The project is expected to be fully operational by 2023. More details at: www.greenlink.ie @Greenlink_IC
About Nigel Beresford
Nigel Beresford is an electricity industry veteran of 38 years, having started as an engineering apprentice with the UK’s national electricity generator. Throughout his career, Nigel has always focused on the power generation sector, in roles covering development, construction, project execution, operations and sales. He has fulfilled roles in Customer, Supplier and Developer organisations as his career progressed through the CEGB, Enron, EDF and GE.
Immediately prior to joining Greenlink, Nigel was a General Manager at GE Steam Power (the GE business dedicated to steam turbine and generator design, manufacturing and services). Most recently he was leading their rotating equipment repair facilities across Europe. In prior roles at GE, Nigel led the gas turbine services business for West Europe and Sales for North Europe and had responsibility for the O&M teams running power plants across Europe, including at Tynagh and Whitegate in Ireland. He holds a degree in Electronic Engineering, from what is now Birmingham City University, and an Executive MBA from the HEC International Business School, Paris.
About Peter Ewing
Peter Ewing’s previous roles include Director of Regulation and Market Operations at Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) and Finance Director at Viridian Group. He has overseen multiple price controls, acquisitions and disposals across the electricity value chain over the last twenty years in relation to the transmission and distribution and supply of electricity, transmission system operation and renewable energy projects. He led project financing of the Moyle Interconnector, between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Peter is Chairman of the Northern Ireland Electricity Pension Scheme, served as Board member and Treasurer of Radius Housing Association (2014-2019) and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. He holds a First Class honours degree from Manchester University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co, subsequently working overseas with BAT. Prior to joining NIE and Viridian, Peter was Finance Director at the Moy Park Group, one of Europe’s leading food processing companies. He has completed the Advanced Management Programme at the INSEAD Business School.