EirGrid senior project engineer Conor Mulholland has just marked the halfway point of his first year as the first Irish chair of a prestigious international committee of young professionals sharing expertise from power systems across the world.
The Next Generation Network (NGN) is part of CIGRE, the International Council on Large Electric Systems, a global community of professionals committed to the collaborative development and sharing of end-to-end power system expertise. TU Dublin graduate and Kildare native Mulholland began his two-year term as chair of NGN’s international executive committee in September following his election by its 37 voting member countries.
“I was truly honoured and delighted to be elected by the representatives of all the different countries on the committee,” he says. “I’m very proud of that.
“It was really good news for Ireland and EirGrid as well because it put us at the heart of an international network of young professionals and shows that we’re at the forefront of driving technological advancement and power system knowledge-sharing,” he adds.
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Mulholland first became involved in CIGRE soon after joining EirGrid in 2019. “I graduated from TU Dublin in 2019 with a degree in mechanical engineering,” he says. “I joined EirGrid on the organisation’s two-year graduate programme and got to work in several different areas of the business. I am currently involved in grid connections for large scale renewables projects and security of supply projects like battery energy storage systems (BESS).
“I also got involved with CIGRE’s Next Generation Network committee in Ireland, which is open to young professionals under the age of 35 from organisations across the power system, including system operators and private companies. I was elected secretary of the international committee a few years back and became chair last year.”
He describes CIGRE as a “fantastic knowledge transfer organisation”. “Over 90 different countries are involved and it’s really good for sharing knowledge on the development of power systems from generation all the way to distribution. It really does cover the industry from cradle to grave. It’s a fantastic organisation for anyone to be involved in, but particularly for a young engineer to learn about how they do things in different countries.”
His role at the Next Generation Network involves overseeing bi-monthly meetings of committee members from some of the world’s most advanced power systems, as well as regular interactions with the influential steering committee of the broader CIGRE collective.
“We had our first meeting in Muskat, Oman, where we presented some innovative research to a number of CIGRE leaders,” he says. “Our next meeting will be held in Dublin in the EirGrid office.”
His ambition is to grow the membership of the Next Generation Network and to seek out further opportunities for knowledge transfer and shared learning. “We have 43 countries represented at the moment, including from advanced power systems such as the US, UK and Australia, which allows for valuable knowledge sharing,” he says.
“We’ve recently welcomed new members including from Belgium, Chile and Argentina, but there is definitely further potential to expand and that’s something I want to prioritise during my time as chair, so that we can add further expertise from different regions,” he adds.
The knowledge-sharing enabled through CIGRE has huge practical benefits, Mulholland says. He cites examples such as dynamic line rating – a technological innovation that allows greater amounts of electricity to be conducted through overhead lines in different (“dynamic”) temperature conditions.
“While Ireland is learning from other power systems that are further ahead on some topics, there is also an opportunity to share our own achievements, such as the high levels of renewables on the Irish transmission system achieved through system non-synchronous penetration. On the other hand, offshore renewable energy is a huge growth area where Ireland can learn from a wealth of existing international experience.”
Indeed, the committee has recently been in contact with power system operators in Egypt and with Gulf Cooperation Council members in relation to offshore wind developments in those countries.
“From a personal point of view, CIGRE has been very beneficial for my professional expertise in the power system industry,” says Mulholland. “Through attending conferences and interacting with international colleagues, I’ve been fortunate enough to present on technical work I’ve completed to an international audience, and also be nominated for industry awards over the course of my involvement. CIGRE has provided similar opportunities for other members of EirGrid, which is brilliant for any young professional.”
He plans to continue his involvement with CIGRE when his term of office ends in September 2026. “The organisation offers great opportunities to develop your technical knowledge,” he says. “I hope to progress my learning and take up other leadership positions within CIGRE.”
